The Fear
by aobcldeefcghcakestories
Summary: Wander and Sylvia face a new evil that may tear them apart from the inside out. Continuation of The Fight. (WARNING: Changed to to T rating for scenes of gore.)
1. Chapter 1

**I forgot to add that thank you to some special people from the beginning of Fight. I hope it's okay to list their real names (just not the last, lol I'm not that insensitive) Thank you to Meghan, Rachael, Cossette, Ellie, a few from Tumblr and Skype that I can't list the names of at the moment. And to the WOY fandom themselves, for making my life magical and worth living and my inspiration to make these wonderful tales. Let's keep on fighting for season 3 too!**

7/7/16

* * *

"Wander!"

It was the crack of the morning and birds were already tweeting their songs in the air. Sylvia the Zbornak tirelessly looked for her best friend, and under everything. Anything she had her eyes on she lifted up called for the star nomad.  
Rocks,

"Wander?"

In tree tops,

"Buddy-boop?"

A family of beetles, having their breakfast be briefly disturbed by a blue creature, stared at her.  
"Wandie?"

She left them to look in the river not too far,

"WHANDHER?" Her mouth gurgled bubbles.

Regretting that she got wet, she shook herself dry like a dog. She aimlessly looked for him, and refused to stop. She remembered him telling her to look for a specific place, as he was on a mission just a few days before and had left to fend for herself. Sylvia wasn't the best at remembering details, but she knew it was on the tip of her tongue, and as soon as she spotted his valued scarf, there was no mistaking it was him, she could see that old red stripe from a mile away. After all she made it for him as a gift.

"Grop, what place did he say again he'd be?" She tapped her lip.

They'd been staying on the current planet for months, but it was really peaceful, and both appreciated that. They preferred quieter ones than the other planets that had bigger civilizations. This one in particular because they'd find each other. She looked into one place she hadn't seen yet, a part of a cave.

"Wander?" Her sweet and gentle voice echoed against the rocky walls.  
She could hear someone snoring. And she knew who's Z's they were.

She sighed happily. Sylvia entered, hoping it wasn't anyone's home she was intruding into.

"Roleswitched" Wander slept soundly and content. Sylvia's footsteps tapped loudly, but not enough to wake him.

"What did you get yourself into recently?" She giggled, cupping her hands under her chin.

"You get tired from long missions, knowing you."  
It took her several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but upon looking closer, Wander was holding a baby in his arms.

Sylvia gasped loudly.

"OH MY GROP. He's so cute!" Her eyes glittered with joy.

She forgot to remain quiet; as she woke up the bundle of trouble awake.

"AUUGH!" Wander's eyes flared red, he hated being woken up.

The baby cried louder, Wander forgot he was holding the rescued child.

Sylvia sat down at his eye level,  
"Sorry buddy, I didn't mean that," she chuckles, "I'm glad you came back safely."

"You didn't need to worry, I'm fine." He replied with embarrassment.

"What's the kiddos name? What were his parents like?"

"Shush. He's trying to sleep." Wander didn't look at her, frowning.

Judging by his tone, Sylvia sensed something might've happened that he didn't want to talk about yet. She let it off for the time being.

"What's his name?"

"Nate."

Sylvia leaned closer and gaped,

"Oh no, he's bleeding."

Wander forgot that splinters from Nate's former house hit his face.

"It's all good now, there was an accident." He put quickly.

His gentle smirk appeared, and put one finger into the baby's tentacle. Nate squeezed it back, and smiled in his sleep. Wanting to inspect closer, Sylvia got closer, admiring more of the adorable child.

"We can't keep him." Wander said suddenly.

"But..." Sylvia was going to protest, "Where could he go?"

"You know we're not fit to be parents, someone else should have him."

"But you'd make a great father, Wander." She giggled.

"Yeah sure, I won't be able to sleep. You how I get."

* * *

A few weeks later...

Come on, Natey!"

Sylvia encouraged Nate to come closer to her, she and Wander attempting to teach him how to walk and crawl. He couldn't stand on his feet yet, so he went crawling first. Wander leaned against a tree and observed.

"Sania." He waved to make sure he had her full interest on him.

Nate couldn't pronounce their names, but Sylvia was able to tell he was trying his hardest, and that made it so much more adorable. The two decided to nestle on the planet for awhile longer and made their temporary home.

"A little more, that's it.."

She encouraged him with her hands, this made him want to stand up. He wobbled forward and used his arms to balance himself. Not sure of what to do, he made an uneasy face at his foster, and took his first step.  
Wander grinned and watched him, Sylvia gasped and her eyes sparkled again. Nate tipped over into her palms and she caught him.

"YOU DID it!" She praised, and made Nate chuckle.

Sylvia pointed to where Wander stood, "Now try going to papa."

"What? oh no no." Wander shook his hands, unsure of what to do.

Nate walked to him nonetheless, with a big smile on his face.

"Alright kid, take it easy, you're gonna-"

Nate wrapped his tentacles around his slim frame and hugged him tight, the admiration in the child's eyes was illuminating, as if gazing at Wander like he was his real father.

"Papa kitty." He chirped.

Wander's brow ticked, not liking the terms.

"Hehehe...you think you're so smart." He shook his fist, annoyed.

"Wander..." Sylvia chuckled, she tried to keep it silent.

"I heard that." He snapped at her.

They didn't notice or sense that someone was watching them...

* * *

Several months pass.

Wander never thought he'd be so attached to something or someone, besides Sylvia. He grew fond of Nate and cared for him like he was his own. Growing up, he never let himself be soft in order to survive the harsh galaxy out to destroy him. Only Sylvia knew details of his personal life and rarely shared his feelings with anyone else. Sylvia was aware of the emotional wavering of her best friend.

"He's so open, and that's never happened as much before." She said to herself.

He'd come a long away after they became friends.

She was looking after Nate again, who played with some toys they had bought awhile back. She enjoyed her tea while she watched the child of now two years old play. She sighed sadly. Sylvia remembered when he first brought him home he said something about not keeping him. She hoped they can for as long as they could.

"When papa coming back?" Nate asked suddenly and snapped his eyes at Sylvia.

"Oh, pretty soon."

Nate stumbled up, and fell onto her lap. Sylvia ran her fingers through his dark hair, which had grown since the day he first arrived; it was turning into a swirl at the top.

"Nate, do you remember what your real daddy looked like?" She suddenly brought up.

Nate rolled his eyes and thought;

"No, but I do know he was a fish."

"A fish?" Sylvia tilted her head.

"Yah! thiiis big!" Nate spread his arms as far as he could.

Sylvia chuckled at the silly representation.

"You know you're not a fish, right?"

Nate made a comical frown.

"But, daddy is a fish and so is Wander!"

 _Must be super confused. Or vague since his dad is an octopus._

"So that's a no, he doesn't remember." Sylvia said to herself again.

Nate slept on her lap while she tried to make sense of the child's origin. But from what details she knew, he was picked up from a tropical planet, but the name slipped past her.

...

"Wander, what did you discover there?"

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it." Wander huffed.

"But he deserves to know someday!"

Sylvia had tried to pry information when he came back from rescuing Nate. But every time she did, he'd avoid the subject.

"It's best you and Nathan don't know. They-" Wander paused, as if he was looking into scene where he stumbled upon a horrible secret.

There he was, standing by Eva as he watched the life slowly die from her and her smile haunted him more than anything. He witnessed a murder.

"They who?" Sylvia asked sweetly, seeing she had cracked a surface.

Wander whipped around and punched the wall of the cabin, as if he had sensed someone was sneaking up behind to kill him.

"Wand-"

His eyes returned to thier normal glint, but defiance remained,

"I told you, and I'll say it one last time...stay out of it." He said in a low-key tone.

Without making facial contact he stomped away. Sylvia looked at the hole in the wall, wondering what could have happened to him on his mission.

...

"Miss me?"

Sylvia stopped thinking of the flashback and gazed to see Wander with their dinner for the night.  
"Hi, how did it go?"

Wander rolled his eyes and shut the door, "Ugh, these swine-birds weren't easy to catch, they proceeded to bite at my head."

"Well, at least you came back safely." Sylvia ensured him.

Flying pigs were no laughing matter, they were incredibly hard to hunt, and more challenging since Wander had to get up early and spent the majority of the day hunting. Before prepping to cook the well earned food, he took off his bandanna and scarf to wash later. He removed his arm wrappings to let his skin breathe.

"I see he's been lazy." Wander gestured to Nate asleep on her lap.

"Oh, we had fun. He's missed you."

"Did he? like I care."

Being with him over time, Sylvia knew it was his way of hiding appreciation by being sarcastic. She knows he's not all cold-hearted.

"Nate knows you love him."

Wander jolted as if getting stabbed by a needle.

"Where the flarf did that come from?"

"You don't need to feel ashamed, he reads everyone well like a book." She admitted sweetly. She felt it was her job to assure Wander that he was supported and sometimes he didn't know that.

"And that's not necessarily a good thing." He muttered a harsh whisper.

Being distracted into the conversation he momentarily forgot he was making dinner and fumbled with the meat cleaver.

"I'm surprised I've lasted so long, it's just unreal. Since I've met you, I still fear the day someone will come and find me for who I am and finish me off."

"But those days are in the past, there's no point in living with fear of it." This time Sylvia grew a concerned altitude.

Wander was only silent and didn't reply.

"Wannder, you don't have to hide from me and Nate-"

He shoved aside the kitchen equipment loudly, cutting her off. He startled Sylvia at first, he showed a defeated frown;

"You don't understand, Sylvia. I _do_ have to hide..."

He had faced away from her, he held up his left wrist and put the other hand on his forearm; a set of four claws retracted from the fingertips.

He felt the compression of tough skin wrapping around him, Sylvia came up and hugged him and set her head on top of his.

"Again, you don't have to hide it, what's the point if I already know?" She ensured him and sighed contently.

"You know being with me puts him in danger." He nudged his face up to meet hers.

"He's not the only one, I've been put into danger with you since, and look at us now," She poked his forehead,

"Don't worry so much."

"But-"

"If the time comes you need to tell where he came from and about your powers, just keep silent until then."

Wander was about to agree, but then she picked him up and hugged him so tightly she cut off his air-ways;

"Oh I love you so much, buds." She sighed again happy.

"Choking...not breathing." He croaked.

* * *

Nearly at the age of three, Nate's adventurous side had begun to sprout and bloom. At whenever chance he got, Nate would run off and see the scenery of the planet, on a trail leading a popular picnic area, and a large lake right by. Sometimes he would go straight to the lake and undress to swim in it, even though his guardian would come home to find him soaking wet and told him not to.

"But papa's name is Wander, meaning he likes to go places, I want to do it, too." He told himself proudly.

Having made it to his destination, he awed at the sparkling lavender-colored water of the lake. But his second most favorite part was the sky above, thriving with distant planets and stars. He went without permission again, but he was used to Wander only giving him light scolding afterwards that it didn't bother Nate.

He settled under a tree and sat his supplies down. Taking out a sandwich he munched it down quickly, all the walking had made him hungry. While eating he was thinking about whether to swim or not, but came too focused on the beautiful view ahead.

"Wish auntie Sylvia was here."

There were some groups of families down below, swimming and chattering amongst themselves, having a good time. By old habit, Nate took out his binoculars to see closer, he loved doing it. But for his age, he wasn't told that it was rude and invasive.

A moment of peering down, something had blocked his view, lowering the binoculars he saw someone was standing in front of him.

"WAAA!" He jumped.

The stranger chuckled, "I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

Rubbing his eyes Nate looked who it was, and he wasn't someone he knew or seen before;

About 3 feet tall and skinny, orange fur, wore a black long over jacket and black shoes with white knee-high socks. The fur on his head was similar to his foster dad's but messier.

"Um, yeah, but I'm alright." Nate replied sheepishly.

"How are you?" He sat on one knee and held out his hand to shake,

"I don't know. I'm fine?" Unsure of what to do, he took his hand and returned the shake.

"If you don't mind, may I sit with you, lad?" His eyes peered into his,

For some reason, if he said no he would feel guilty later on, he nodded his head. The man smiled and sat next to him, occupying the invitation.

"Ah, beautiful isn't it?" He leaned back with his hands supporting behind him.

"Yeah it is! It's my favorite." Nate innocently chirped.

"But I don't know..it feels like it's missing something." Stranger input, "More red would be nice."

"Red? is that your favorite color?" Nate asked, his curiosity rose.

He shook his head,

"Never mind, you're a bit young to understand,"

His mouth made a flat smile. Nate sat on his knees, determined to play and engage; thinking it was a game.

"Try me." He challenged.

Stranger took in a breath, as if giving in, "There is something I want to ask you."

"Yeah, yeah?" Nate nodded his head enthusiastically.

Seeing that he was pulled into it, he removed his cap to reveal dark and reddish eyes, which would have set some off because of how eerie they appeared, but Nate was too into conversation to notice.

"My name is Mono, I've had my attention on a fellow that looks like me, you know him."

Nate gasped, "Wander?"

"Yes, him."

"What do you want from him?" He asked innocently.

Mono leaned forward and smiled, "Just to speak with him, nothing else."

He put his hand on the young octopuses shoulder, and in doing that, now Nate felt uneasy. But Mono went on,

"You see, he and are alike, meaning species wise...I don't know him personally, but since he's the same as me, I've been anxious to meet him, Nate."

"Oh! Are you brothers?" Nate asked excitedly.

Mono chuckled at the silly thought,

"You could say that." He patted Nate's head.

"I think I know what you're going to say, you want to talk to him?"

"Talk to who?"

Nate flinched and turned around, Wander stood with his arms folded, not too happy. He sighed with disapproval and stomped wearily to him,

"How many times have I told you to not run off alone here?"  
"I'm sorry."

Nate being distracted, his apology wasn't as genuine; thoughts still on the conversation with Mono.

"Papa, there's someone who's been wanting to see you." He announced happily.

Wander stared at him, confused.

"Where is he?"

"Right there-" Nate pointed to where Mono sat,

But he was gone.

...

That night Nate couldn't sleep, his curiosity had skyrocketed since that afternoon, thinking about Mono and what he would want with Wander.  
"If he travels like pops, he could join us." He cooed.

Someone in the dark, a smile went from ear to ear on Mono's face, and biting his lower lips... piercing the skin and making himself bleed. Hearing Nate's hope of joining together was slowly working with his plans.

"Foolish child, thinking I'm his ally, it will be his greatest downfall."

* * *

The next two days went on as normal, Nate didn't sneak off, and Mono remained out of sight. He finished helping Sylvia with the chores and keeping their house clean. Now bored, he wondered what to do. Easily seeing something was on his mind, Sylvia poked her head into his room,

"Is something wrong, Natey?"

"Oh um-!" Nate jumped and fumbled the tips of his tentacles on the bed sheets, "I uh, met someone the other day."

He didn't like to lie and wanted to keep it that way. What harm would Mono do?

"Is that who you're thinking about?" She chuckled,"Who is it?"

"Well..he looks like Papa."

This caught her attention, eyes popped in fascination,

"A furry man?"

"Not what I was going to say, but yeah!" Nate shrugged," I think he wants to be his friend."

"Be sure to tell Wander about it first, he isn't one that trusts others."

"But he trusts you." Nate input.

"True." Sylvia nodded.

"Do you fight like him, auntie Sylvia?" Nate sat in a pretzel and set his tentacles under his chin.

"Not as well as Wander does, I prefer not to fight unless I have to."

Wander knew she wasn't the engaging type, despite that Zbornaks were known to be gruff and thick-headed. But she wasn't like her brothers back at her home planet. All tough acting.

There was a knock on the front door.

"Oh, I'll get that." Sylvia left the room.

Nate followed after, having nothing to do. Sylvia opened the entry door and to see a short man half her size standing on the threshold.

"Evening!" He cheered.

"Wander-?"

"Oh heavens, no. But I'm looking for the him, is he home?" He shrugged nervously.

Sylvia thought Wander had dressed himself up in fancier clothes than usual, which was unlike him. But this was an entirely different person.

"No he's not, but he should be-" Sylvia started but was cut off; Mono had spotted Nate.

"Well hello there, how have you been?" Mono waved.

Nate stepped out.

"Fine." He grinned.

"Who is this, Natey?" Sylvia wrapped her hands on his shoulders.

"This is Mono, the one who wanted to talk to Papa."

Mono took one step onto the doorway, smiling mischievously.

"Miss, would you mind if I stayed and waited for Wander?"  
"Um, sure."

Sylvia wasn't sure to trust him or not, he was a little suspicious appearing but she couldn't refuse now.

"Alright then-"

Mono was knocked off his feet by a large mace. Someone had attacked him and he tumbled down the pathway to the front door.

"Mono!" Nate called out.

Both he and Sylvia ran out to assist him, but saw that the man in question stood in the way.

And he wasn't too pleased.

"What the grop are you doing here, slug?"

Mono put on a babyish act with puppy eyes and rubbed his head.

"Is that how you greet themselves these days? Furnicles have sure lost their manners."

"For good reasons." Wander cracked his knuckles, glaring at him.

"Furnicles?" Nate looked up to Sylvia, seeing if she knew what they were talking about.

She made a sharp nod and shushed him.

"Oh goodness, what have I ever done to you?" Mono cried fake comical tears and pouty face.

It was funny, and well as pathetic to Wander that he faked innocence.

"Your last warning, Mono...don't ever come back here again."

Mono dropped the masquerade, and smiled snidely.

"I don't need to, you're right here, and my work is almost done." He sat up, cracked his neck and patted off his jacket.

"Let's talk."

Wander continued to glare and raise a brow at him. Mono made eye contact, red and black irises dilated into Wander's...his eyes rolled into the back of his skull.

Wander fell to the ground.

"It will be done tonight." Mono sighed pleased.

"Papa!"

"Wander!?"

Sylvia and Nate rand to his side, he barely moved, Sylvia put her head on his chest, and instantly could see he was still breathing.

"What did you do to him?" Nate cried, "I thought you wanted to be his friend."

Mono wasn't as friendly this time to him and just blankly stared.

"Of course, we're already friends," Mono turned to leave, his main objective finished, "Whether he wants to or not."

Mono chuckled heartlessly and started to go another direction. Now Sylvia was set off. Cracking her own fists she followed after him, and caught him with her tail and held on tightly. Nate has never seen her this mad.

"Explain what you did to him just now." She growled.

"Left him a message, nothing more." Mono rolled his eyes.

"What SORT of message?!" Sylvia wrapped her tail even tighter on him.

"Very well, I'll tell you."

Even though his arms were bound to his sides, he effortlessly slid out to shrug at her. Like the pressure on his body was nothing less than the strength of a light tug. Nate stayed closely to Wander, scared now.

"If you care about yourself, I suggest you leave tonight and abandon."

"As if." Sylvia spat.

"You're a tough one aren't ya? We'll see how long that'll last once you see for what he really is. I simply gave him a command."

His snide remark disgusted her, so she let go.

"Shame, because those who care the most, suffer the most."

He glanced at Nate, the boy gulped nervously.

"If you touch either one of them..." Sylvia hissed,

"Really, I don't want to fight. Just want to do what I was born to do."

He turned to leave and was gone quickly, his jacket behind him flowed with the breeze.

"Wander!"

Sylvia almost forgot the nomad had passed out, and she tried to stir him awake.

"Wander!"

Nate shook his head, trembling.

"WANDER!"

…

Later that night, Sylvia and Nate sat anxiously at the dinner table, hoping he would wake up. He'd been out since the afternoon without a sound.

"Will he be okay?" Nate looked to her for reassurance.

"He's a stubborn guy, he's made it out of lots of scary situations." Sylvia puckered her lips, trying to be brave.

Nate laughed at her, feeling somewhat better. But it didn't last.

There were crashing sounds coming from the hallway next to the bedrooms. The two took a quick glance and got up. Nate stayed behind Sylvia allowing to protect him. Making it to the bedroom, Sylvia opened the door and found Wander panting on all fours. Relieved that nothing was wrong she called him.

"Hey! how are you feeling-"

"Get...back..." Wander's voice cracked, as he was being suffocated.

"What did you say, Wander?" Sylvia didn't understand.

His twisted his body in painful angles,

"Nate, Syl - _cough_ -..."

Wander finally stood on his feet, and the two saw he was taller than normal, past Sylvia's height...he looked into their faces with twisted joy. Both eyes turned into black and blue hues.  
His smile was demented but his eyes were screaming with fear.

"Run!"

Two voices resonated in the room; Wander's normal tone and a monstrous one.

They scrammed, not wasting the chance to get away. They yelped and screamed. Wander ran all four of his feet, chasing them and scratching the floors with his claws while doing so. Unfortunately, the cabin was so small it made it easier to jump on the walls to get his prey.  
He easily grabbed Sylvia and made her trip.

"AH!"

Immediately she kicked him off, Wander became dizzy but his senses came back and he charged at the two again.

"Get on!"

Sylvia grabbed Nate and stashed him onto her back, he held on tight to her long neck. He dared to look back...Wander snarled loudly from behind; determined to get him. Sylvia wished she knew a way to turn him back to normal, she knew of this condition of his where he could transform at will but this wasn't like normal, thus not knowing what to do. All she could do was run.

She growled, because Mono was standing ahead of her.

"YOU! What're you doing here-?"

"I'll handle this!" He yelled to her,

She of course didn't trust him one hundred percent, but she ran past him anyway, and let him do whatever he was going to do. She stopped running to watch.

"Wander..." Mono spread his arms at the rampant beast before him,

Wander jumped, ready to sink his claws into him.

"Welcome home."

The two rolled on the grass, but Mono didn't fight back, in fact he had a pleased expression on his face when they stopped moving. Wander made a guttural growl, and bared his fangs. He put his body on top of Mono, threatening to kill him on the spot.

"Beautiful...I'd never thought..I would find another of my kind.."

Mono's reddish eyes went glassy and passionate, he embraced one hand on Wander's cheek, and revealing his own claws. Wander flinched from the touch, confused at first, then accepted it.

"Stay with me."

Now Mono sounded like a child begging for his mother to not leave, it was pitiful to Sylvia. The way he acted deemed like understood the pain Wander was forced to experience was being used against him. Wander's eyes dilated back to black orbs, and frowned fearfully. He scurried off on his feet away from Mono, confused as to why he was on top of him.

"What're you doing here? I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Seemingly dissatisfied that he reverted to normal, he attempted to persuade him again.

"Not enough, I have to-"

Sylvia took the chance and hit Mono as hard as she could, knocking him unconscious.

"Sylvia?" Wander looked at her and without any verbal commands, demanded to know what was going on.

"Are you feeling.. okay?" Sylvia asked anxiously.

"I..I don't know about that..suddenly it's night? and Mono was here...what happened between then and now?"

 _How horrible, he doesn't remember..._

He rubbed his head to make sense of it, and jumped when he saw his claws.

"AHH! what.. What's happening to me?!"

"Wander, it's okay! You just-"

Wander's eyes caught Nate several feet away, the boy shaking in fear. The smell of his scent caught on again.  
Wander reformed back to his previous state and went after him!

"MEAT!" Saliva splattered out of his mouth,

"AHH!" Nate screamed at the top of his lungs, and ran for his life.

"WANDER, NO!" Sylvia called and tried to command him to stop, but her voice was deaf to his ears.

"Help me, help me!" Nate cried, determined to get away as fear drove him to survive.

Despite his efforts to run as fast as he could, Wander caught him.  
His guardian turned-hunter raised his claws to inflict a killing strike, but with Nate's quick thinking, he slapped him hard with his small tentacles and made Wander stall.

"Papa, please don't!" Nate begged.

The boy exhausted himself from running, so he could only crawl away. Wander did the same and reached out his hand to grab him again...and stopped.

Wander panted from exhaustion himself and tried to catch his breath. He coughed up dirt as it made his throat hoarse and dry. His face returned its gentler form.

"Wander!"

Sylvia stopped to see if Nate was still okay, and to her relief he was. But the damage had been done and scars had left their mark on the young child.

"Nate...what happened-"

Nate started to cry, fearing he'd be chased again.

"I...what did I do?"

Nate passed out. And Mono had disappeared.

* * *

After several days had gone by, Wander recovered from the bruises and scratches he earned himself from bumping and chasing after his friend. But he, mentally and emotionally, tore himself up from the inside out. That night he and the other two went to the hospital, they were discharged a day after. But Nate stayed behind. The nurses noticed he would stare endlessly at walls and not react to anyone's voices or when someone snapped their fingers in his face to get his attention.

Since coming home to find the disaster of a mess in the house included, Wander stayed in Nate's room and sat in the little desk provided. He didn't budge since. Having his bandana off his face was easier to read, but his scarf still on, as it provided some comfort.

"May I come in?" Sylvia peeked in the crack of the door frame.

"Yeah."

She sat on the bed, concerned. Wander's eyes had slight purple bags underneath, obviously not having slept much. Sylvia watched him fumble with the clothing Nate wore from when he was smaller. Wander gestured his head to something on the desk, an envelope that was wrinkled.

"What is that?" Sylvia pointed.

"Something his mom gave him, I forgot it was with the clothes."

"Did you read it?"

Wander shook his head, "It's not for me, it's for Nate, he should read it."

"Ah, I see."

"But I never got to thank them."

"Them?"

"His parents." Wander shifted in the chair and stared at the letter in his hands.

"It's not my business..." He started, "But this time, I'm curious."

"I think he'll forgive you." Sylvia grinned. "Just like I forgive you."

Wander snapped his eyes at her, seeing the acceptance in her own eyes, the forgiveness for that night he attacked, melted his doubt.

"Thanks, Sylvia."

He got up and sat next to her, seeing the bed was more comfortable.

"I'm gonna read it."

"Hmm." Sylvia nodded. She got up to give him his privacy.

He started to open it and then paused, Sylvia was at the doorway still smiling at him. "I'm going to the hospital to visit, Nate must miss one of us."

"Alright."

"You want to come with me when you're done?" She suggested.

Wander glanced away, guilt struck again.

"No. You go on without me, and Sylvia..." He tightened his fingers around the letter, "It's probably best he doesn't see me again."

Surprised at first, then sad; Sylvia nodded again. She understood a choice like that was probably for the best.

"You be careful, okay?"

Having left, Wander had the privacy he needed.

After opening the letter and finishing it…

Wander had never cried harder his life in years. A message of love packed in one letter reassured him that Nate was going to a good place in life, despite robbed of his parents. He began to miss Eva, who in earlier years, was one of his very first friends he had. He already regretted not doing enough to save her that day. But rested assured, he knew she was watching over them all without any grudges. Smiling while tears streamed his face, Wander got up and sat back at the desk again, opening the drawer and getting a pen to add something to it. It would be a long time before the child he called his own.. would read it.

...

After some searching Nate found his permanent home and family. Planet Rockna was in an entirely different galaxy and it was going to be a long travel. Sylvia accompanied Nate with his personal things, she was heartbroken that he was leaving, but knew he would be just as happy in a new place.

Before leaving, Sylvia knocked on Wander's bedroom door.

"You sure you don't want to say goodbye?"

"My choice hasn't changed." He answered simply.

Without another word, she left the house.

* * *

The following year, Nate still had nightmares that plagued him from that night. His new parents would wake up to hear screams of terror in the middle of the night. He would be sent to do therapeutic sessions to treat the trauma and took some forms of medication to treat anxiety and his jittery-episodes.  
But some nights were worse than better than some. But he never forgot the frightening face of the beast that wanted to kill him, and he remembered it's name.

"Furnicles..Furnicles...evil, heartless monsters.."

His new phobia of the creatures nursed his hatred over the course of the years. Despite he hated them, he wanted to study them and their history to get a better understanding of their nature. But because of it, it wiped out the memory of his former caretakers, the memory of that night caused him to go into shock and forget them entirely. His weariness somehow didn't interfere with his daily life and continued to function like any normal person, but still required to take his medications. Nate had no more of the warm, and loving nomad who risked his life to save him, as well as Mono.

"I'll hate you for as long as I live."

The Fear


	2. Chapter 2

Present time.

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Roleswitch Wander cried with fury.

Deena still held the weapon in hand over Wanders unconscious body. Deena didn't respond to the other ones plea.

RS Wander wasn't going to just sit there and let him be killed, he charged to defend him.

Deena finally did look at him, in a flash, she pulled out her tranquilizer gun and shot him in the chest. RS Wander fell to his side and shook violently. Nate helplessly watched him convulse in pain and ran to his side.

"Deena!" Nate glared at her" Why!? what did you do to him?"

Tears fell on Deena's face, as she put away the thing that brought down his guardian. She rubbed her nose and sniffed;

"He'll live..I just gave him a light dose toxin that ceases function the muscles. Temporary paralysis."

Wander strained his neck despite how stiff his body was,

"Please, don't do this.. you'll regret it." He croaked.

"I'll deal with you later." She made a disgruntled face at him.

Nate was still infuriated she did it, now all he could do was watch him grunt and moan. Sylvia and Dominator sat still the entire time. Watching.

"Let me explain to all of you why I'm doing this-" Deena began,

-"I understand perfectly why:" Nate interrupted, and stood fully up,frowning.

"You want to get rid of him because you see him as something to be wasted: a monster."

Deena stopped hovering the gun over Wander and for the first time; she becomes angry.

"You think I want to do this? This was never supposed to happen. I wanted to help not just him, but Sylvia."

She turned her neck at her, Sylvia only stared back blankly.

Flustered she shook her head.

"I can't explain everything now-"

"Oh, so you lied to me? You said a minute ago you would. Just like how you lie about everything."

Deena furrowed her brows at Nate, along with shock written all over.

"What do you know about me? And this job I have on my shoulders? And what it takes to protect this galaxy?"

Nate wanted to continue,

"He's right."

All heads looked at Sylvia. She stood up with a nonchalant face at Deena.

"I had this feeling since the nightclub. You faked crying, didn't you?" Sylvia grit her teeth.

Instead of being accused, Deena squeezed her eyes,

"No. That was real. You humiliated me in front of hundreds of people."

"And I'm sorry for that. You have no idea how still devastated I was when I realized what I was doing then." Sylvia sounded apologetic and apathetic at the same time.

"Ugh, enough, I don't have the time to deal with this." Deena shrugged with her paws.

"If...if Wander hadn't gone and turned into that Furnicle, it'd be a whole different story. I was going to take him somewhere safe and recruit him in our corporation-"

"Hold it right there."

This time RS Wander, (still unable to move) narrowed his eyes at the agent, and glared at her.

"Wouldn't that mean...you were going to kill me, too?"

"What? No, I-"

"You were, weren't you?" Nate accused.

"Ugh, I haven't gotten that far yet to figure it out!" Deena defended, "I'm just trying to do my job... so no one gets hurt."

"I understand that, and I can see you're not lying about it." Nate stepped closer, "But I smell a true liar when I see one."

"What should I do, then? Let this Furni-...I mean, Wander continue to live and go on a rampage and destroy everything he loves? I'm doing him a favor, too."

"No, you're not."

This time Sylvia spoke out. All eyes turned to her;

"You'd be taking him away from us, and the only thing that stands between the galaxy being turned upside down, and Dominator."

Sylvia glanced at Dominator, as she did, Dominator shut her eyes and turned away, pretending she wasn't there.

"As for me? I wouldn't care, and I see what your point is, he's a monster, yeah totally. But I don't want the rest of the worlds and galaxy be turned into bigger monsters, so don't kill him."

"Sylvia." Wander hissed, she looked at him.

He glared at her, and had enough to bang his fist on the floor.

"You said in your eyes, Wander is a monster. How dare you. That's not something you'd say."

"Well, news flash. I said it, happy ending." Sylvia said flatly.

"Then what am I to you? an expendable? or just as much as a monster?" RS Wander's eyes brimmed with betrayal.

"I don't know. You choose." Sylvia rolled her eyes at him.

The weapon Deena held activated again.

"I'm sorry." She said sadly.

She was going to do it, end Wander's life right here and now.

"NO!" the other two shouted.

But a stream of lava knocked the gun out of her hand, narrowly missing Deena's paw. The gun smacked against the floor and cracked.

Dominator had stopped her from pulling the trigger. She was annoyed, and tired.

"Everyone..." She stood up and took in a breath,

 _"GET OUT!_ Dominator screamed at all of them, her own eyes flared fury.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH, JUST GO BEFORE I DESTROY ALL OF YOU."

Everyone did as she was told, Deena picked up Wander and carried him in her arms, Nate tossed RS Wander over his shoulder and all of them ran before she could change her mind and do something worse than order them around.

"What about you, horse-face?" Dominator spat.

"I should ask you the same thing." Sylvia narrowed her eyes at her, and finally stood up as well.

"What do you mean?"

"You saved the Furnicle from Deena, and you let them go. You could've just done us all in then."

"Tch, don't waste your breath."

Dominator walked away, some chunks of her armor fell off, but she didn't care right now, she was just happy to have her space not occupied.

"I only saved the little drip because I didn't want his corpse all over everything, and wouldn't have to clean it up later."

"Make sense." Sylvia nodded.

"You're weirding me out." Dominator said suddenly as if it were a fact.

"Meaning?"

"What's up with calling your buddy a monster? That's not like you at all. Although the friendship thing makes me gag."

"Well, he did try to kill you, and he tried to kill me not too long ago, see,"

Sylvia pressed down her pink comb to reveal the old bite marks Wander had given her the other day. Dominator made a quick look and shrugged.

"Now I think I get where you're coming from. But the real question is..."

Dominator's gloves turned to lava and she wrapped her hands around Sylvia. Now a little panicked she stared at the eyes of her enemy.

"How will you stop me, now that he's free, and you're just one puny Zbornak? I don't care what beef you have with him, but if you intend to fight me someday, I suggest you get your act together and team up with someone else; or put aside that he has something he can't help with and work around it!"

Sylvia was low-key shocked. Was this the real all mighty Dominator, the one who would destroy without mercy her, and the galaxy surrounding them, was _lecturing_ her?

"Wait...let me get this straight," Sylvia tilted her head, intrigued, "Do you actually care about Wander?"

Dominator formed a disgusted glare and tossed her against the wall.

"Please, don't get the wrong idea. I'm only giving you my good one piece of advice."

"That is..?"

"If you don't want to end up dead by your friend or finished off by me; either way you'll have to chose which one is less evil or be swallowed by both."

Despite how helpful she was being, Sylvia only knew one way out this mess once and for all.

"I'm leaving."

"What?" Dominator turned quickly, not expecting that sort of answer.

"Leaving the ship that is." Sylvia cleared for her.

"And I'll be here, waiting for your next move, horse-face." Dominator challenged.

Sylvia followed the cave-like entrance that lead to where everyone left to. Gone out of sight.

Her strength had been used up and she fell on her legs. The pain from the bite-wound was really getting to her.

"Man, that stunk blorp-berries." She muttered.

Now her ship was a wreck, she was injured, and on top of that, she had no energy to fight back. This was her most vulnerable state as of yet.

"I'll need time to prepare for a defense. On top of that, some of my probes are damaged, what do I do?"

She did what she could for now, and treated her wound. For the next 20 minutes she disinfected, stitched, and wrapped her arm up.

"There's no way I can get to work like this, I'll need to rest up first."

"Could I help?"

An unfamiliar voice bounced in the room, making her flinch.

"WHO'S THERE?" She demanded.

"Just me."

Out of the same corridor where everyone came in and left, a small figure revealed himself.

"Who the grop are you?!" Dominator stanced.

"Easy, easy, I know what happened here and I want to help you get caught up."

A small orange nomad in a tattered black overcoat expressed worry, he held up his hands calmly.

"Well, whatever. I don't need help. I don't work with teammates or whatever cutie club you're in. I work alone. Now get out before I'm forced to open my stitches.

"Please, Miss...I can help you get revenge against Wander."

Now that caught her attention. Revenge was after all her specialty, though she rarely had people to exact revenge on.

She turned with one brow up, wanting to hear him out.

"I'm listening."

The small man smirked happily.

"The name is Mono...I can help you repair your ship."


	3. Chapter 3

"Where's Sylvia?" RS Wander shook off the vertigo his head was giving him, and rubbed his temples.

When his eyes cleared up he frantically looked for her. He realized he couldn't go anywhere to retrieve her, because he was inside a orbble bubble.

"She...she just stayed behind," Deena explained, "She seemed..out of it."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Nate panted.

All three of them were dead beat from running for their lives from Dominator's wrath. Even when they got out of the ship, they kept going to where it couldn't be seen anymore.

"We can't just leave her there, we gotta-" RS Wander started,

"Oh look." Nate pointed, the tip of his tentacle hit against his face cutting him off.

Sylvia trotted towards them, head bent down and Wander's hat on her hair. She appeared as if she'd been fighting a long, dark battle.. and she lost it.

"Oh, glad you made it." Nate announced happily, "You're not hurt, are you?"

Sylvia looked at each of them, and avoided RS Wander's eyes. Not that she could see him anyways, he too avoided looking at her, not happy.

"Miss Sylvia?" Deena snapped her fingers, "I decided for now to put off Wander's execution. I'll have to tell my higher ups about the situation. There might be another solution to it."

"Does that mean me, too?" RS Wander, mumbled.

"I suppose. You didn't go out control like he did." Deena rolled her lips inwards.

Wander was still slung over her shoulder, sleeping like a baby. Sylvia stared at him, feeling indifferent. She thought of her choice of words back on Dom's ship, thinking if she meant them or not. For now they all needed someplace to stay.

"Well, now that's over, let's go find some place to crash. Wouldn't Hater still be looking for us?" Sylvia suggested.

"Oh...right. I forgot about that." RS Wander rubbed his face tiredly.

While they discussed options, Deena pulled out a pair of electronic binoculars, they were designed to locate energy from planets below 50 miles away. Right now they were in the middle of nowhere and she knew she hadn't seen any recently. Most likely due to Dominator laying low while she kept Wander in her possession.

After a moment of scanning, the device detected one, a foggy blue planet 19 miles away.

"Got it." She grinned to herself.

"Hey, I found our crashing place." She announced.

* * *

The planet was a rainy type; everywhere one looked, water streamed on the ground like tiny rivers, water on the rocks and trees. Fog made it hard to see at times.

But it was the perfect place to hide from Hater because of it. They weren't going to camp outside in the rain in tents, it would flood through the bottoms. After much searching, they picked a dry cave.

Deena went out in the rain, despite she was going to get wet. It was time for her to report the new information to her boss. She pulled out her car keys and clicked a button, it was calling for her car to come to the planet.

While she waited, she thought about what to say. She exhaled in frustration.

"I should've just done it. I should've just done it..."

She repeated her words over and over like a video tape, panicking about what to do.

"Okay, deep breaths.. you got this Dee,"

Closing her eyes, she weighed her options,

 _If they see I didn't kill him, they'll_ come _for Wander themselves, and they're relentless when it comes to hunting down dangerous targets._

She knew Wander was in a horrible spot right now, and he needed everyone's support. He couldn't fight and defend himself in his condition. Then there was the part of him that tried to destroy everyone back on the ship.

"My job is to help, and kill when necessary," She told herself firmly, standing by her corporation's policy and rules.

Then it came to her, when was killing the only option? When killing seem to outweigh the need to save, was it the right thing to do?

She rubbed her forehead. Deena opened her eyes and heard the motors of her car coming closer. A large, black speck floated in mid-air. Rain splattered on it like a waterfall. By now, Deena was soaking wet herself.

She quickly got in.

And decided what to do. She knew that her choice would temporarily save Wander, and save the other just like him.

She made the call, put in her silly password and her boss came online.

"Your report?"

"I'm sorry. I lost both of them, for now."

"Any possible leads to where they are?" A female's voice tensed.

"No, it's cold. And by that, literally cold. I'm on some unknown planet and it's constantly raining."

A moment of silence came...

"Very well. If you've tried your best; you may rest for the time being."

Deena breathed in a quiet inhale of relief.

"But as soon as you're ready, get back to tracking."

"Thank you, Arelynn."

"You're dismissed."

The woman hung up.

"Sighhhh."

Deena shook herself off the water on her suit.

"It's not easy working with the mother of the galaxy's most dangerous spiritual being, Maylynn." She pouted her lips.

Deena moved to the back seat and pulled the removable cushion in the center; and pulled out a bag. Inside were normal, dry clothes.

"Time to come up with plan B."

* * *

It was big enough for each of them to pick a personal resting spot and plenty of space to go around. One spot especially for Wander, who still slept quietly. Nate took advantage of the hat and it provided blankets and a pillow against the rough ground for Wander.

Nate and the other Wander watched him closely and waited for him to wake up.

Feeling awkward since the previous transformation, RS Wander pretended to sleep with his eyes closed, while Nate wrote something in a notepad he brought. What was he writing, he had no idea.

"Wander...are you...awake?" Nate said softly, still writing.

Wander kept his eyes shut, and thought about whether responding or not. But he gave in.

"That depends. Maybe if you're louder, I could be awake." He remarked.

His snide reply made Nate chuckle.

"Come on Nate, I just wanted to sleep for once." Wander opened one eye.

"I get it. And you will. I just..." Nate paused, and set down his notepad on the ground. He clasped his tentacles together.

"What?" Wander groaned.

"How did you do it...?" Nate said slowly. "How did you hide "it" for so long?"

Now with both eyes open, Wander started blankly.

"I would tell, but it's a long story, and one I'm not saying right now."

"Fair enough." Nate nodded.

"But I'll cut it down." Wander sat up straighter.

"Cut it down?" Nate asked, curious.

"Natey..."Wander pinched himself, he hadn't called him that in years. It was so embarrassing.

"You may or might not remember, but me and Sylvia took you in when you couldn't walk yet."

Nate's mouth gaped. Wander waited for him to say anything, but only a stunned expression remained.

"Alright. I'll go on. Up to when you were about 3 and a half, we raised you. But when you couldn't stay, Syl took you to Rockna."

"Sylvia...as in her?" Nate pointed off somewhere in the cave, supposedly where she was sleeping.

"Oh no, the Sylvia I know is a little bit different. You would follow her around like a puppy, you looked up to her." Wander smirked.

Talking was making him feel better, and thus allowed him to be more chatty.

"Oh, so an alternate Sylvia? That makes sense." Nate said.

"Anyways. It's embarrassing for me to go into further detail, but something happened and we had to get you to another home." Wander explained.

He struggled to put in anymore words.

Nate saw the guilt and sudden hurt written on his face. For some reason, guilt struck in Nate as well.

"Whatever I did, I'm...really sorry. I'm not sure what the reason was, and don't I remember what happened to send me away, but I'm sorry." Nate bit his lips.

Wander chuckled loudly. But it wasn't mean, or him laughing at Nate. He chewed himself for accidentally making his foster son apologize for something he never did.

"Don't be stupid; it wasn't your fault..."

Wander breathed in heavily, his eyes stung. Because he was trying to hold back tears.

"It was mine."

RS Wander knew this day would come, over the course of time he tried to prepare himself and imagined how it was going to play out, telling the truth to Nate. But he didn't know, now that it was happening, it was more difficult than he ever imagined it to be.

Nate got closer and sat next to him, while making sure he didn't wake the other Wander.

"Will you tell me-" Nate started.

"This is when I said I didn't want to go into details." RS Wander said flatly.

His eyes looked at the notepad on the floor.

"By the way, what were you doing with that?"

"Oh, that. I was writing down new facts about Furnicles. Seeing you and him are both one."

RS Wander flinched, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Wander.." Nate wrapped one tentacle around him;

This brought back the moment when his mother gave him a one-armed hug before she died.

"I don't care, not anymore. That you're one."

Wander gazed at him, a sense of unsure fell on him and thought he'd had to tell Nate he almost killed him when he was young.

He could almost see Eva, as if she was there with them.

"If I'm going to live and have Furnicles as relatives, what better way to understand them with new information? I mean, come on..I was saved by _him_ ,"

Nate gestured to the Wander sleeping.

"I thought they were incapable of love, and putting someone else before them. Until he kicked another monster from killing me. And not just him, you too."

Reading from his tone and body posture, RS Wander relaxed against him. A smile slowly crept it's way on his face. Nate ruffled the fur on his head, Wander hated when he was patted or touched there, but he let it slide. He never thought he'd be accepted by his foster son, the one who feared him for who he was.

"I owe you for everything, you saved my life, you gave me a family to live with.. and a home that I would die for."

One tear fell on RS Wander's cheek.

Feeling at ease, he fell asleep, but before he did, a thought passed through him.

If Nate was able to forgive and accept him...

 _Then Sylvia could too._

* * *

A few hours later, Wander opened his eyes.

He had no idea what happened or where he was. But he felt refreshed for the first time in awhile. He sat up and stretched his arms.

"Man, what a nap."

His mind was still fuzzy and couldn't process what took place before he fell asleep. He looked down and a bit of the downs got to him, his bandages were still there, and looked like someone had changed them recently.

"What's...that.?"

A mace was leaned against the wall, and his hat was next to it.

"I have no idea who's that is, but.."

He didn't hesitate to zoom straight to his hat and hugged it.

"HEY BUDDY! It's so good to see you!"

He put it on...

As soon as he did, water poured all over him!

"Hahahahaa, I'm happy to see you, too!"

Wander knew it was the hat's sign of crying. A slip of paper came in between his eyes,

He read;

 _"Don't ever throw me out like that again, I swear to grop you worried me."_

"Duly noted." Wander nodded his head to the side, letting the warning sink into his brain.

Letting his curiosity awake, he wanted to search the cave. Judging by the things left laying around, he wasn't alone.

"So, since I'm wet, I can't wear you. I'm gonna go look around, okay?"

The hat's underside made a slight smile, as if giving him the okay to go.

"I'll be back, don't worry." Wander set it back in its former spot.

He came to be disappointed as it was any normal cave, so he went outside. There was a downpour.

"Rain?! How nice!"

It was quite refreshing to see, after all the recent bad he'd experience, the cool weather pricked the skin under his fur, relaxing him.

Suddenly it stopped raining. As if something turned off a water faucet.

"Ugh, why me."

Wander heard someone moan. And it wasn't him who did it. Since discovering he could hear things from a distance and more clearer, he followed the voice.

After turning a corner and walking over rocks, he saw someone holding red clothing...

Wander gasped.

It was someone...who looked exactly like him.

"Gropping rain decided to sneak up and wet my scarf, just my luck."

Wander ran to the duplicate, and immediately the other one saw him, holding his scarf.

"Another me?" Wander's eyes shrunk with shock.

RS Wander was caught off guard, not expecting the other to be about and walking around.

"Um..." He started, trying to think of what to say.

"I know what you're going to say, this is the part where I faint." Wander input,

And he did.

"Well grop." RS Wander smacked his forehead.


	4. Chapter 4

While Wander had fainted, he was put back in his makeshift watched over him again, and eventually fell asleep. When he woke up, Wander was still out, as well as RS Wander. Earlier he told Nate he needed some brief time alone to think about something, then left.

"What could that be, who knows." Nate shrugged.

He stood up, he wanted to get some fresh air.

"Be back Wander." He told him, though he doubted he heard him.

A minute later...Sylvia appeared and crept up to her friend. Making sure no one was around she got closer. She didn't sit closely like she would, and stared at him with pure hate.

"Wander...I want to end this. This is goodbye."

Her eyes, distant and apathetic looked over every part of him. She didn't see the goofy friend she knew for years, she saw all of him as something to be rid of, a monster.

Thunder began to rumble from outside the cave.

"I could just leave. And never see you again. It'd be so much easier...but before I do.."

Her hand automatically searched for a rock...

She fumbled with one the size of a small dinner plate.

"I'll end you first."

...

"What's going on?"

Sylvia was alone and confused, and in a dark place with very little light, she looked up.

...

Sylvia raised the stone in her hand, not going back on this choice.

...

"Wait..WANDER!"

Sylvia raced to stop whoever was about to stone him to death in his sleep, this person had taken control and stood next to him with unloving eyes...

...

"Goodbye, Wander."

 _"NOO!"_

Sylvia pushed against the other one, stopping her and dropping the rock.

"WHO ARE YOU? What were you doing to Wander?!" She screamed.

She pinned the other to the ground, she grunted and struggled against her weight, and it finally looked into her eyes and made a smirk.

"Why are you fighting it? this is what you wanted! I'm doing you a favor." She argued.

"Like flarf! I would never kill him! I-"

"There you go, you said it yourself." This Sylvia snapped her fingers.

"I didn't say anything!" She protested, she wasn't going to put up with this imposter pushing her buttons.

"But you _thought_ it."

"...JUST who are you?" Sylvia said apprehensive.

"You know me." The other said, as if disappointed.

Her eyes glowed.

"Been with you ever since Mysterium."

"No...no no!"

Sylvia let go, the other sat up, eyes still laminating and stared back at her.

"You've harbored extreme fear of him, and I'm no exception. We both want to leave him."

"How are you still there? What's going on?" Sylvia clamped her hands against her face.

"You'll know soon enough." Mirror Sylvia answered.

She snapped her fingers again, and as if someone had changed a scene in a movie; Sylvia found herself with the same rock in her hand, holding it up...

In front of a terrified Wander.

"Sylvia? W-what's happening?" He stammered.

"Wander...?" Sylvia's breath left her speechless.

Wander couldn't help it, one set of his claws had retracted in his defense in case she hit him. Now both were horrified of each other. But Sylvia was more scared of what she just attempted to do!

"Wander! I-I'm so sorry!"

"What's going on?!" Deena, Nate and RS Wander all at once came rushing into the small space the two were in, "We heard yelling."

RS Wander saw it, the rock that had fallen before it hit and Sylvia still kept her arm stationed.

"Sylvia!" RS Wander shouted, outraged.

"Whoa, what're you angry about?" Nate glanced at him, confused.

"She..." Wander pointed his finger at Sylvia, "She tried to kill me!"

He started to cry uncontrollably.

Deena and Nate went to comfort him, and if needed protected him from his attacker. Both adults glared at Sylvia and put their hands on him tightly.

"Explain, now." Deena spat firmly.

Sylvia wasn't going to hide it, now that she was caught in the act. But tried to worm her way out of it.

"Do I have to?" Sylvia talked back.

"That wasn't a request, that was an _order_."

"Grrrr!" Sylvia threw her hands up.

"From what I saw, you were going to hit him senseless, weren't you?" RS Wander confronted, standing in front of her.

Wander's crying went into the background, he had quieted a bit but still kept sobbing.

"What kind of sick person, no less than their own friend... would attack another while they're defenseless?" RS Wander spat with venom.

"I don't even know myself. Call me diluted, but my mind was somewhere else." She replied truthfully.

Sylvia knew how she sounded, that was the truth, but it didn't keep them from staying close to Wander and glare at her with disapproval.

"But believe me, I didn't ...know what to do anymore. I won't deny that I'm afraid of him. I was just going to leave and not come back."

"You what?"

This time Wander responded, and he sniffed loudly.

"He's...not my friend. Not anymore." She looked away.

Everyone heard water drop from within the cave. Wander said nothing, but his face fell into heartbreak and he wrapped himself tightly, as if he was silently stabbed by her words of rejection.

"You're ...horrible." Nate gasped.

"And that's it? Just like that." RS Wander grit his teeth, his fury rising.

In a situation like this, he practiced not letting his emotions get the better of him thus his power going unattended. He knew to stay calm and defend Wander.

"There's always another choice." He said loudly.

"I've already made my choice! Wander is dead to me!" Sylvia argued.

But as soon as she said that, she was awestruck with guilt right after.

"No, he's not. He's alive. He's still himself. He always will be if you just believe it!" RS Wander argued fiercely.

"B-But–"

"Listen to me, Sylvia. It doesn't matter whether Wander's a Furnicle or not. What matters is that you care for him as a friend, despite his past. And if you don't..?"

RS Wander's eyes narrowed into a glare..

"Do him a favor and _leave_ , because he doesn't deserve a friend who thinks of him as some freak."

RS Wander took a step closer to Sylvia. He motioned to Wander, who was hidden behind Nate, uncontrollably shaking. Nate gently got him to stand up, but he stayed behind him, cowering. Deena stepped aside to watch.

"So, what'll it be? Push away the past and treat your best friend with the love and care he deserves, or break him so much that you'll go down in history as the worst friend ever?"

Sylvia was still shaking, afraid that the Furnicle part of Wander would take control and lash out at her.

 _"You leave, or I'll just take over and finish him off. If you don't make up your mind."_

She could hear Mirror Sylvia threaten. She was partly the reason this got out of hand. And now she resented herself more than ever for even imagining trying to leave Wander, much less take his life. Apologizing wasn't going to be enough. She needed to show that she was there and put aside her fear. She realized and remembered something Wander said a long time ago, it's easier to love and welcome someone than push them away. She now knew she let her hate get the better of her.

She took a deep breath and walked over to Wander, extending her hand towards him.

"...Buddy?" she whispered calmly.

Wander shrank back behind Nate, clutching onto his shirt. He shook his head. Nate sighed, leaning over to Wander and whispering words of reassurance to him. Wander began to shakily walk towards Sylvia, stopping right in front of her. He stared at her with dull, glassy eyes...

...and broke down crying.

Sylvia sighed and pulled Wander into a gentle embrace, letting him sob. "Shh, Wander," she soothed, "It's okay. I'm here, I won't hurt you..." She felt tears welling up in her eyes and held him even tighter.

* * *

After everyone calmed down, they took a breather from that previous scenario. Sylvia took some more time alone and punished herself for trying to do the unthinkable. Wander was feeling sleepy and told them he needed to rest more. It didn't stop him from making curious looks at RS Wander. He wanted to talk to him after he felt better.

It wasn't long after he fell asleep, Nate took off again somewhere else inside the cave, to find RS Wander. He found him sitting by himself.

"Hey."

"What are you doing?" Nate asked and sat next to him.

"Well I said I needed some time to think, and I've reached a solution."

"Solution? for what?" Nate tilted his head.

RS Wander looked at dead in the eyes with determination.

"I'm going to help Wander, and train him."

"Train?" Nate thought he misheard.

What did he mean by that?

"Nate!"

Both heard Deena cry out, she appeared and was frantic. "Wander's gone! I can't find him!"

RS Wander's stomach dropped, dread hit him like a bulldozer.

* * *

"Wander!"

"Wander!"

Everyone including Sylvia searched what coverage they could on the planet. Even though it was small, he couldn't have gone very far. For the first time Sylvia was truly scared and feared the worst. She was just beginning to want to make their friendship better, then he goes off.

"Wander! If you can hear me, I'm so sorry! I never meant the things I said!"

"Over here!" Deena shouted from afar.

RS Wander and Nate find had found him. How they did, was horrifying. Deena and Sylvia find a small trail of blood...

With tufts of orange fur along with it.

They catch up to the other two, who stood closely to Wander, but were too nervous to approach further.

"Wander! Is he okay?"

"I'm not so sure." Nate said fearfully.

"Look." RS Wander lifted his arm to show her.

Sylvia gasped.

Wander was on his back, using his arms as if trying to fight something off. He was having a nightmare.

"STOP! STOP! I WONT LET YOU! Please..." Wander wails.

"This..this is typical behavior for those who resist against their natural instincts." RS Wander explained quietly.

"What do you mean!?" Sylvia grabbed his shoulders, "What can we do to stop him?"

"In this state, it's best to let it continue until he calms down." RS Wander looked away.

"But he's suffering." Sylvia looked at Wander again, pained.

"That's all I can tell you for now." RS Wander watched the other two hold him down.

Which wasn't easy, Wander's strength seemed to have grown while in the fit. They try to calm him down, but they can't, they call out for Sylvia, who comes rushing in. Seeing Wander's condition (slightly bleeding, fur ripped out, he's trying to fight his Furnicle side), she calms herself down, and approaches Wander.

"Please, don't! I don't want to!" Wander sobbed.

"W-Wander? Buddy-"

Sylvia grabs Wander and holds him close to her, massaging his back to calm him down. "W-Wander, please, calm down!" she said. "I-It's me! Sylvia!"

"S-Sylvia...?" Wander whispered, he for a moment opened his eyes, they were so gray and petrified.

He went limp in her arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Four days after Mono offered to help, he and Dominator made tons of progress and improvements and repairing the damage of her ship. To focus, Mono had taken off his jacket to move easier, leaving his upper body exposed. For a day, it made Dominator uncomfortable, but got over it quickly, that and she wasn't used to having someone else other than herself on her ship. She went to work herself, mainly on the room that was trashed from the battle with Wander.

Dominator changed into something lighter herself, her suit was still damaged and didn't have a change to fix it yet. She donned a pink shirt and capris and just picked whatever shoes she could find. She fixed the computer and the paneling, as well as swept and mopped the floors from chunks of metal and equipment.

Despite the bite wound, she pushed hard aside the pain from it. She reminded herself she had more severe injuries than what she got the other day. She hated slacking off. And now was no time to make self-excuses.

But after working for some odd-hours straight, she took a break.

"Where's some water?" She huffed.

She scooted away from the wiring and space from the control panel and stretched her body.

"BOTS!" She commanded.

She expected several to appear, but the room was empty. She called again, this time a single robot showed up.

 **"Yes, my lord?"**

"Bring me water, now." She hissed.

 **"Right away."**

Like a racing car, it followed her request and was gone.

"That Mono dude better be working his furry butt off." She glared at the ceiling.

 **"Water."**

The robot held two glasses in his lava-like hands, and passed one to her,

"Thanks,"

She gulped it down quickly. And frowned.

"Why do you have two?"

 **"Lord Mono ordered it."**

Dominator narrowed her face at the robot, "Huh?"

 **"I must go."**

The robot quickly left without another word.

"Hey, hold it! Since when you do follow orders from him?!" She yelled.

Feeling strange about the robot's response, she followed it. Mono was in the deck repairing the blown out windows thanks to Wander's blasts of rage. Grabbing a towel from the floor she damped up her own sweat.

"So you guys like it here?" His faint voice bounced against the lava walls.

She heard Mono chuckle to himself, or was he...? Dominator put herself against the wall and peeked out,

Several robots clicked, and hummed happily at Mono, seeming to enjoy his company. Which was strange. Mono himself clapped a beat or two with his small hands and laughed.

Then his smile was gone; replaced with pity.

"Aw, that's a shame. I'm sorry she's harsh to you."

 **"She's bossy, never happy and every now and then... destroys one of us out of anger."**

Dominator raised her eyebrows and gaped;

"What the...since when could they talk like regular people?"

She never programmed them to have clear alien language, they weren't built for that. She never changed their data recently, so how?

"But still...how dare they talk down to me. The nerve." She bit her lips.

She stopped hiding and stomped her foot.

"What do you think you're doing?" She remarked.

"Ah! Miss Dominator. It's good to see you're doing better!" Mono beamed at her and set down his water.

"So much better." She muttered.

Mono went to her and even though he was less than half her size, he hugged her legs. Which felt alien even to her.

"Let go, please." She rolled her eyes at the ceiling.

"As you wish." He bowed.

"What's with that act? You make it sound like I'm some princess."

"Well, to me you are." He shrugged with modesty.

"Anyways, what were you doing? You were supposed to be working." She spat.

He paid no mind to her ill-temper, but continued to smirk;

"I've mostly finished the repairs. Even improved your wiring functions. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Really? that's it? What about the.."

Mono clapped his hands a couple of times and the lights came on; to reveal newer equipment, cleaner floors, and brand new glass panes.

"...Windows.."

"All done."

Dominator rubbed her chin in thought, thinking he was up to something. But looking at him now, he was admiring his work with pride and a calm demeanor.

"Is there anything else I can work on? I still have some energy left." Mono cracked his knuckles.

"Um, no that's about it."

She kept seeing him and the robots talking to herself, thinking she imagined it.

"I've been on ships before. So I know what to fix, take out and replace. I've been around since they could make them fly in space."

Dominator gaped slightly...

 _Does he mean...he's been living by himself for a long time?_

Mono glanced at her, chuckling.

"I've been in this universe thousands of years. Seen my share of loss, ups and downs. Enough to learn how to fix your ship."

Not knowing what to say she only whispered,

"Well, thanks." Dominator said quietly.

She rarely ever gave gratitude, and this time she meant it.

"Ah, right!" Mono snapped his fingers, a sudden rush of excitement came.

"Let's get some rest, tomorrow we'll launch the plan to attack."

"Okay."

For the first time she agreed, and left to her bedroom.

"Soon."

Mono's eyes grayed down, and he cracked his neck.

"I'll have you Dominator, and the one I need to move forward."

* * *

A day later after the scuffle; everyone was in tension from what Sylvia tried to do. Especially Wander and Sylvia.

Wander was fortunate to be alright from his nightmares, but anxiety still lingered. But even he knew if he stayed and stuffed himself in this cave all the time, he'd get sick from the lack of sunshine. Then he remembered there wasn't much of it outside since they were on a wet terrain. But remained hopefully.

"I hate being indoors, but it's just not in me today." He sighed.

The two of them still kept their distance from each other, needing the space. That's what they repeated to Roleswitched Wander, who could only watch them sink in further into their funk.

Feeling annoyed, RS Wander had enough.

"I have to train him soon, but not like this. They have to get their stuff together."

He decided a risk, he was about to do something to help the both of them get into motion. He got up and easily found Sylvia resting against the wall in another part of the cave; was she asleep?

"Hey, Sylvia."

"Hmm?...oh, it's you." Sylvia yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"I need you for something."

"What for?" She said groggily.

"Just, shut up and follow me."

He didn't bother to wait, he went ahead. Sylvia rolled her eyes, thinking how rude he was.

"Wanna tell me at least what we're doing?" She pressed.

"A meeting." He replied with a simple tone.

"Oh."

"Now, I'm bringing Wander." He glanced at her, "And if you run away, I'll out run you first and stop you."

His light warning let it hit her brain, he was dead serious. She gulped. Furnicles were scary. No wonder Nate had feared them for so long. For this Wander, he meant well. She could read that. Yet, she couldn't figure out why she felt so afraid.

They made it to Wander's personal spot, seeing him sit alone looking bored. Neither of them needed to call out, because he heard them.

"Oh, it's the other me!" Wander said excitedly.

"By the way, Sylvia, is he anything like me at all?" RS Wander asked quietly against one hand," I don't get that vibe yet."

"So far, no." Sylvia shook her head once.

"But-" RS Wander was going to say another thing, but when he looked at Wander, his face gaped.

Wander smiled like the sun's in the galaxy, sparkles danced near his face.

"Huh." _So he's more like Sylvia at home, I shoulda' figured._

"So Wander, I need you to-"

Wander rushed up and hugged him tightly. Making his eyes bulge out.

"Choking, _can't breathe_.."

"I've been meaning to talk to you more, it's been hectic! I have so many questions!"

Wander hugged him tighter. Sylvia chuckled, and was reminded how ecstatic he would become meeting new people he could help.

 _What was I afraid of again?_ She chewed herself.

"Wander, I think you better let him finish." Sylvia told him gently.

At first glance he was unsure of her and was nervous, but did as he was told. He continued to grin at his other self.

"Alright follow me, and please, don't hug me again." RS Wander held one finger at him, giving him the light warning.

"But..you're so cute!" Wander clasped his hands into a ball.

RS Wander became instantly flustered, the one finger he held up ticked like a broken clock-hand.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that and we'll go."

Sylvia of course, still held in her laughter. She and Wander followed his lead into the entrance to the cave. Nate heard all the sounds they were making.. and peeked from a corner, seeing he had nothing else to do.

"Ah, perfect." RS Wander smiled snidely," The rain has stopped outside."

"Why are you so happy about it?"

"I'm not happy for myself, I'm happy because this is the perfect time for you two..."

He turned around, giving them a real smile since first meeting him;

"...To talk about what's been eating you both, what you fear, and letting out all your frustrations.."

RS Wander began to shift: his head, arms and legs began to grow bigger than himself, up until he was past 8 feet tall, the two of them watched, mouths open in comical horror;

"And I'm going to help you with it."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Wander and Sylvia screamed in unison and tried to run away,

But RS Wander knew it would happen and grabbed them both by their backs.

" _HEY, HEY_ -! What're you doing?" Sylvia demanded, she tried to get herself free.

"You're not going to...eat us, are you?" Wander asked sheepishly.

"Nonsense." RS Wander rolled his eyes.

What made his form differ from Wander's was that he sounded the same, just a lower octave, no black eyes or claws...and his scarf was shorter than himself.

"I'm just carrying you outside, and in case you freaked out, I turned to this side so you wouldn't' argue, and in this form, I'm stronger."

He started out the entrance, and ducking his head out as he went.

"I did say if you run, I'd stop you." He smirked.

"Point taken." Sylvia said.

"Are you going to talk with us, or something?" Wander asked, as he looked at the planet's atmosphere, which he was liking a lot.

"Nope, just you two. I brought you out here because you were making yourselves rot in that cave, you need the fresh air."

It had to be a mile out before he finally set them down on their feet. RS Wander took Wander's hat and put his hand inside; Sylvia and Wander watched as he did.

Two lounging chairs came out and he set them for them to sit in. The hat seemed to know exactly what he needed. He gave it back to Wander;

"I've done my thing for today now, but I'm not finished yet."

"What do you mean, by not finished?" Wander was eager to know.

"Come see me when you're done." RS Wander told him, "I'll tell you then."

He leaned down with his hands placed on one knee, the other patting Sylvia on the head.

"Syl, I need you from now on, to do everything you can to fight for Wander, and remember what I said yesterday; it doesn't matter if he's from a species he has no control of, he just needs you be there."

Sylvia let his voice sink in, their sounds, vowels and meanings melt into her eardrums...she nearly felt as if her Wander was talking to her directly, whenever she felt unsure or put herself down, or feeling like beyond help, he was there. Sylvia had a habit as of recently letting misdoubt let everything choose for her. She was being opened to new chances since the talk in the cave.

She wrapped her hands around his finger, it was so soft and silky...no claws that could slash her to pieces. These hands were there to help, not inflict pain.

Her moment was broken by an over-excited Wander;

"OH WOW, THIS IS AWESOME, CAN I DO THAT TOO, GET ALL BIG AND STRONG? YOU GOTTA TELL ME...!"

Both of them just rolled their eyes again. It was funny how earlier he was a little scared of the taller Wander, now he was shouting out questions.

"I'll leave you to it, guys."

After several feet's distance away, he shifted back to his regular size and let out an exhale,

"I'm glad that went well, they could've tried to kill me or something."

...

The two settled down, but didn't look at each other in the eyes for some time. Wander gazed at the landscape ahead, thunder clouds floated over the mountains. The pale gray skies would put one into sadness, but for him...sometimes cloudy days made him happy. And it calmed him.

Sylvia never cared what the weather was, but seeing him and his face and body language being so calm, the cloudier weather too put her into a good spot.

"Sooo," Sylvia broke the silence;

"How've you been?" She asked shyly.

"Honestly, I really don't know." Wander shrugged lazily, "It's not the same anymore."

"What's not the same?" Sylvia finally looked at him

He didn't say anything right away, but sighed.

"Nothing."

"Wander..." Sylvia flared her voice.

"But he was right."

She tilted her head.

"I did need this. To be out here, in this beautiful planet. With my one and only friend."

His eyes were glassy at her. The hat, although silent...leaned over to the side as if swooned by the conversation. It was becoming more noticeable reading the hat's posture for Sylvia. For the longest time she always viewed it as just an object.

She looked out at the scenes again.

There were living, breathing things out there, fighting to live and relying on instinct.

She looked at Wander again.

He was no different.

They were just living..for the sake of living.

"Wander."

He looked at her, hands placed under his chin,

"I'm so selfish. I never realized how much stuff there is in this life. All I do... is think of myself."

"That's not true!" Wander gripped the chair's armrest, "You've done more for me than anyone else, why else do you think we're friends? It's because of looking out for yourself and protecting me too, is why we're still breathing."

Sylvia's eyes widened and watered.

That struck a chord in her.

"Syl, there's nothing wrong with defending yourself."

She breathed slowly, trying to hold the urge to argue.

"I'm to blame for it." He cupped his hands over his chest.

"I'll admit, I'm trying my very best to be here for you, and not listen to what my mind is telling me what I should do, I'm not going to run away from you."

He tightened his hands,

 _"This_ thing, in me...it's at fault, and it's my fault, too."

Sylvia cried silently.

Every word and self-blame he said, stabbed her with guilt. But she let him continue, after all...this is what they were here for.

"I'm sorry about the mirror. I'm sorry for dragging you into everything. My own selfish agenda for helping other's tends to blind me and I forget that you too, can't always be strong all the time."

Sylvia remained silent, listening. But she was screaming in the inside.

"If I'd just got you back in time before something horrible happened to you on Awesome's ship, it would be different. I'm-"

"SHUT UP!" She snapped suddenly.

Sylvia stepped out of her chair, flinging it to the ground. She grabbed Wander and embraced him against her body harder than any other moment in their years together as friends, even more so than at the museum. The hat fell off and sat on Wander's chair perfectly, his neck cupped over her shoulder, eyes shimmering.

Wander was stunned for the moment, but then understood. He returned the hug.

The bandages around his chest fell to his waist, then off his body entirely; to reveal pinkish and light red wounds.

The healing had started.

"Say another word, and I'll kill you for real." Sylvia sobbed and trembled.

Wander cried again, letting out all the doubt and regret he felt for the past few months. His wounds stung a little, but the pain he received over time could never amount to what he saw and felt compared to the little pokes he was stabbed within the museum. He wanted to say more to Sylvia, beat himself more about how much everything was his fault, but crying felt better than giving himself self-destruction.

"You've done enough apologizing. I swear.. if you say another gropping bad thing about yourself I'll beat you into a fur-ball."

He agreed non verbally to not speak another word. Just weep.

"I need to say this, I'm sorry. I had no clue you felt that way, Wander. It's bad enough that in the beginning I treated you horribly when we first met. And I did it again, over..over, and over..."

Wander narrowly opened his eyes, feeling her voice-box against his ear. Crying already had sucked out his energy, and feeling he could fall asleep listening to her.

"I'm sorry for slapping you. Grop help, what is wrong with me...I vow to never do it again, even if my life ends with you trying to kill me."

"But what if I do kill you? I'm scared, Sylvia. I'm scared of myself." He whimpered.

"It's okay." She chirped.

"How?" Wander looked at her suddenly furious.

Her being alright with that possible fact slightly angered him and petrified his very being.

"Because when I die, whether by your hands or not..."

Sylvia gazed at the clouds and landscape ahead, and raised her hand out,

"You've shown me what a beautiful universe this is. What it means to love, and I tossed it like garbage. I treated you like one of the thing that used to hunt me during my old life and how fearful I was every waking moment, even though I acted tough to show my comrades to show I wasn't scared."

"Mmmph...I remember." Wander's voice muffled on her shoulder.

Sylvia still held him and she picked up her chair, and sat down. She put Wander onto her lap and reached for his hat.

"You're worth all the hair-pulling, the daily banjo playing, and the responsibility of me looking after you."

She pulled out the old poncho she made for him and wrapped him like a pig blanket.

''Sylvia, we've been too careful."

"Careful...? what do you mean by that?"

"Ah..."

Wander raised his face under her chin,

"We were so afraid of hurting each other.. that we avoided just facing the hurt."

Sylvia thought about that for a moment...and then it made sense.

"Note: let's not ever do that again, are we clear?" She smirked and shook him gently.

"Got it." He laughed heartedly.

They hugged, and relaxed for the rest of the day, until nightfall.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning..

A slow misty rain fell, making the planet a little bit chillier than usual. But Wander and Sylvia had snuggled with each other, keeping warm. It was the first time Wander slept inside the socket of his hat, and Sylvia's back; while she was more at ease and comfortable with him on top of her.

Just days ago, both were walking on eggshells around each other, now they were in their old sleeping forms.

In the other sections of the cave Deena was wide awake, she let herself sleep for a few hours and then be on guard for anything that may come for them, or any changes in Wander. She was pleased that both risks didn't change. From what Nate told her, things were getting better.

For now she rewarded herself with some sleep.

RS Wander was nestled in his own bed, bandana and scarf were not worn, but mace kept close. Nate was awake himself, he couldn't sleep much.

Because of a recurring nightmare, one he thought he'd stop seeing years ago;

* * *

"Stop! please, dad!"

Poor Nate ran as fast as he could, but only in dreams, running almost got someone nowhere. The monster behind him caught up fast, licking its mouth with a vicious smile.

"Stop running, I'm only playing." He sneered.

Nate knew he didn't trip on anything, but he did anyways. Tired from running he could only crawl and hold up one arm to prevent his chaser from touching him.

"It's only me, and you. Just us. Forever."

"Wait, w-who are you?" Nate stammered, scared to death. He sounded nothing like his father, it was monotone and unsympathetic.

"Don't you remember me? I'm so offended."

At first Nate saw him as RS Wander, but couldn't see his face; just only his tall body, the face morphed into someone else, his hair grew a few inches longer and teeth even sharper,

"It's your dear Mono." He growled,

He wasn't friendly acting anymore, there was blood-lust in his eyes...

"N-NO!" Nate shouted in fear,

Mono opened his jaws and sank his teeth into his jugular.

The moment he did, Nate jolted awake and yelped.

"That was...new." He breathed slowly.

He'd never had that sort of night-terror before. Since he was young, it would show him running away from the Furnicle that wanted to eat him. Overtime, his brain would go into shock and he'd forget. Until he experienced it again and remembered, it was a constant rinse and repeat cycle. He'd forget bits of the dream and over the years until his brain automatically started to force itself to remember.

It made some aspects of his life hard to live. But after that, he wasn't sure how to stay calm. The dream was not only different, it felt so surreal.

 _What's wrong with me? I'm almost 60 years old and should get a grip. But what can I do.._ _  
_  
He looked at RS Wander, who was fast asleep on the other end, wrapped tightly in his blankets.

"Wander...are you awake?"

His response was a snort and a snore.

"I'm calling no." Nate sighed.

He hardly had anyone to open up with when he had problems, and he wasn't at home to tell his parents. It made him even feel worse and depressed not knowing if they were okay or not on Rockna. Usually.. he bottled it up until eventually he couldn't take it. This affected his relationships with coworkers and his family at home, when it did come out...it raged like an angry beast.

Now things were different. Since his RS Wander was here, he wanted to try to talk to him.

Nate shoved the blankets off and went to him quietly. He kept in a chuckle to see his foster drooling in his sleep like a hopeless child.

"Wander?"

Nate poked one finger on his head, making him flinch. Wander's expression tightened to annoyance, as he hated being bothered while he slept. This was something Nate had forgotten and was about to pay for it...

"Hey, wake up." Nate raised his voice a notch.

That gave him the results he wanted, RS Wander woke with one fist aiming for Nate's face, and punched him.

"For the love of grop, LET ME SLEEP!" RS Wander shouted.

"Ow."

"Nate?"

Wander turned to regret as he saw Nate rub his face.

"I'm sorry." Wander cupped his face angry at himself.

"No you're fine, I had it coming." Nate assured, "I forgot you get fussy when you're sleepy."

"What did you wake me for?" RS Wander asked groggily, he yawned.

"That's going to be hard to tell. I'm...a full grown adult and shouldn't need to say anything." Nate sighed, and sat on top of his bed.

He sat on the bed, fiddling with the tips of his fingers, making it awkward. After some time, it started to become even more awkward.

RS Wander's eyebrow ticked and he gaped in disbelief.

"Then what was the point in waking me up? If you're not going to tell me, I'm going back to sleep." He growled.

"I'm sorry, just give me a moment." Nate gestured to signal him to not go back to sleep.

"It's been a million moments already." RS Wander scoffed,

"By the way, make it quick, I need to set plans with Wander today with his training."

"Fine. But you're giving me this look like you don't care what I have to say." Nate pouted like a teenager.

WS Wander tilted his head, annoyed. "Nate.. I'm your dad, or was. My job is to listen to what's on your mind. Don't be a chicken."

His response would sound blunt to some, but there was a sense of caring in them.

"I'm not sure." Nate said simply.

"I can see you're nervous, but it's getting you nowhere."

RS Wander sighed, and sat up straigher,

"You're gonna make me do this."

RS Wander gestured to him to get closer, "I can help you relax."

"..Okay?" Nate was unsure of what he meant.

Now closer like he wanted, RS Wander put one hand on his forehead...Nate thought he was going to hit him or yell, but that wasn't what he intended to do at all.

He exhaled in relief.

"How did you do that?" Nate asked, baffled.

When he touched him, his anxiety vanished like it never came up.

"Just one of my magic touches, I guess." RS Wander shrugged.

"Alright, now I'll tell you." Nate held his hand.

It had been years since he felt comfortable with anyone and now that his former caretaker was there, he felt joyous inside.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Nate showed his appreciation.

"Spill it." RS Wander sat in a pretzel.

"Dad, did you hate me? Enough to want to chase me?"

RS Wander's heart skipped a beat. He instantly relived that event and remember feeling the lust for flesh; but didn't realize he was after his son's life.

"No of course not," He rubbed his temple, attempting to block a headache.

"I never told you this, but I've had nightmares when I was a kid, you were angry with me and would chase me."

"You remember that?" RS Wander said with guilt.

"Remember what?" Nate was taken aback, not understanding what he said.

RS Wander stiffed, words failed to come out.

"Now it's my turn to want to explain, but I'm too afraid."

He so badly didn't want to dwell on that night.. but how could it be helped at this point?

"What happened to us, dad? I've felt there was something you left out the other day."

RS Wander grimaced, avoiding his eyes. Nate was no longer the adult, the way he spoke to him; he had turned back to his child years just by looking at him.

"I don't want you to hate me again." He trembled.

He sighed, "That's it."

Nate sat closer and held him in his arms. Not bearing any fear or hatred to him. He didn't want to admit, RS Wander's fur made it hard to resist to want to pet him like puppy, and knowing he wouldn't like it.

"Just tell me. I'll handle it." He assured him.

He relaxed again in his arm, knowing he wasn't in danger. He finally said,

"Before we sent you to live with someone, there was an accident...someone else tried to make you, and Sylvia turn against me after I lost my senses. I came after you, and tried.. to eat you." RS Wander disclosed slowly.

Not expecting him to reveal what was really on his mind, Nate was lightly surprised.

"So it was you I saw in the dream. It makes sense." Nate realized, letting it sink in, "It would keep coming back and my brain tried it's best to forget only to make me dream it again."

Nate placed his tentacles together, his once composed will to listen was now mixed with different emotions.

"I'm waiting.." RS Wander shrunk into a ball, guilty and nervous.

"For what?" Nate asked puzzled.

"This is where you leave, call me a murderer and see me as something to be disowned."

RS Wander was so set in stone sure; that Nate was going to be scared and run off. But he didn't, he heard his son chuckle instead.

Not expecting to be picked up and hugged like a child scooping up her favorite doll to protect herself from pain, he patted his head.

"I just find it ironic, I asked you for help, but now I'm the one comforting you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" RS Wander bit his tongue nervous,

"How is Sylvia, dad? I haven't seen her in such a long time." Nate's eyes cast a dreamy look, thinking of his former adoptive mother.

"I ask because, I have this hunch; if she's still with you..that means she forgave you ages before you realized it…"

"Just like I let go and forgive you." Nate finished, making every word he said with content. "I've already said it the other day."

 _"Just like I forgive you."_

His memory after the incident, Sylvia looked at him with nothing but a gaze of acceptance and forgiveness.

"You should know by now Dad, I won't ever leave, you stood up the other day and prevented Sylvia leaving your other half and look us now, we're all still here."

"I...forgot about that." RS Wander grinned.

"Look at them now; the next time you see them. They spent all day together because of you pushing them to open up to each other, so much like we are now."

Nate loosened his arm and let him sit next to each other. It was about time to start the day, RS Wander was more awake at this point.

"Thank you Nate, for telling me."

Nate nodded and stood up to stretch. He decided to wait to tell him about the changes in the recent nightmare, it was time to not dwell on it too much.

"Oh, did you read the letter I sent with you?"

"What? what letter are you-" Nate turned to look at him, a little surprised.

"Hey, you guys!" Sylvia peeked her head out of the corner of the rock-wall,

"Wander's making food for everyone, wash up and come out."

She left as soon as she came to announce breakfast. Her feet stomped heavily throughout the walls. The other's voices were chattering further out.

"Never mind, I'll talk to you about that later." RS Wander smacked his lips, the mention of food made him hungry.

"I'll wait then."

* * *

"Gather 'round! I went out earlier and found some eggs!"

Wander danced happily, and hummed around the fire, praising his work. Until he started sneezing multiple times in a row, making him chuckle.

"Huh, funny. I don't feel sick." He blew his nose obnoxiously,

RS Wander and Nate came in. Since RS Wander was in front, he used his mace to block the ugly snot from hitting him. He made a disgruntled moan,

"That's disgusting, are you trying to make me vomit?"

"Sorry, it just came out- _HA-CHOO_!" Wander sneezed again, this time at the fire cooking their breakfast.

Everyone either chuckled or groaned in disgust. Wander had squeezed his ribcage while letting his snot fall and blow harder than the rain outside. He tried not to use his arm to wipe it off.

"Put this away, please." Nate took the mace and held it up above RS Wander's head and beyond reach.

"What was that for?" He said angrily, "Give it back."

"You don't need it for eating."

RS Wander made a fuss like a child and argued with him, the rest didn't bother to listen. Nate still kept the mace from him and his foster tried jumping up and down to snatch it back. May as well watch a scene of a parent taking away his child's favorite toy.

He gave in.

Wander sneezed again.

"I don't where this came from." His nasals made him sound stuffed.

"Silly, it's because you went out in the rain, you'll get sick." Sylvia ruffled his fur, making a "you're hopeless" look.

"It should pass, I don't get sick often." Wander said confidently.

Nate's heart melted, seeing the two of them more light-hearted to each other was relieving. The world could spin again like this for the time being, for as long as it could. He wished it would last for ages.

"Nate." His foster called for him,

Nate snapped out of the day-dream, everyone was looking at him, itching for him to join them.

"You gonna drool there all day, or eat?" RS Wander waved his fork, deadpanning.

"No, I'm coming."

...

After everyone had their fill, RS Wander spoke up.

"Wander."

"HMM?" Wander swallowed quickly, and sat down his plate.

"Starting today, I'm going to help you learn to control your powers."

Sylvia spat out her water, and coughed.

"You okay?" Deena asked.

She too was now interested in the new scenario, so she looked at RS Wander to explain, "How will you do it?"

"I'm-"

"WAIT, would you? who let you decide this was a good idea?" Sylvia ordered.

Nate pointed at RS Wander, as if being caught by the parent and pointing out to a sibling to blame the mess on them.

"Sylvia, don't take this the wrong way...this will help him be secure of himself and to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone by accident."

"Aw, thanks. I think it's a great idea, when do we start?" Wander was into it now.

"I wanna do that tall thing." His eyes sparkled.

"But...won't he get hurt?" Sylvia asked, worried.

There was a pause, and they glanced at RS Wander, who thought silently to think of the right words.

"There are risks and conditions, of course." He finally said.

Sylvia sighed loudly. She stood up and paced for a moment, letting the worse-case scenario come into her mind.

"Sylvia?" Wander called.

"I just...don't think it's the best solution...even if he does learn to not become a monster.."

She looked at the potential master who would train him,

"Wouldn't he die?"

"Not if he tries his one-hundred percent and is dedicated." RS Wander input.

"...I don't know." Sylvia breathed nervously.

"Why don't you tell us what's on your noggin?" Deena offered.

"Sylvia? Could we talk alone?" Wander raised his hand to her.

She didn't hesitate, and agreed.

"You all can finish, we'll be back." Wander told everyone.

The two of them went to his part of the cave. As soon as it was quiet, Sylvia spoke

"Wander, do you know how dangerous this will be?"

He nodded, and with content.

"Of course I know, and I want to do this-"

Sylvia put her hand on his abdomen, and gently brushed his fur to show the old wounds on the skin,

"You just healed up and what if you get cut badly again? Or worse...I can't go through that." Her voice shook.

He placed his hands on hers and rubbed them,

"I know he said there're risks, but I'll be okay." He grinned gingerly at her.

Obviously conflicted, she didn't know what to say..

"I can't lose you again."

"I'll make sure of it."

RS Wander entered, hands on his sides, smiling.

"When we start, he's my responsibility from the moment we leave. I'll protect him with my own life."

He smacked his fists together, to ensure Sylvia he meant it.

"Can I come with you?" She asks, expecting Wander to comply,

"Yeah you can-"

"No." RS Wander cut in.

"What?" Sylvia raised her voice.

He stepped closer, face firm,

"It's too dangerous, you're not a Furnicle, and I'm the only one who's skilled to moderate him. If you go, you'd be put into as much peril. I'm already making the risk of taking Nate with us, too."

"Nate is going?" Wander said, taken by surprise.

"I haven't told him quite yet, but I'll get to it. The reason we need him is because he has and knows information that I don't, he'll be handy."

"But I can't come?" Sylvia said flatly.

It was obvious she was being defiant and was angry.

"Trust me on this, Syl-"

"Don't call me Syl, we're not friends."

Wander felt a string of tension in the air, the two looking at each other like they were about to start a blood-war. RS Wander glared, the other two could hear the deep, throaty growl from his chest. This didn't make her flinch or scare Sylvia.

His expression relaxed and closed his eyes, shaking off his irritation.

"Sylvia, please...let me go with them." Wander begged.

"I'm doing this for your safety, Sylvia. I don't want you to get hurt as much as I won't let Wander die."

"How? I'm the one who protects him, what can you possibly do? Throw your little oversized yo- yo you carry around to fight?" She scoffed.

"Now I have no other choice to convince you."

RS Wander took her hand, and looked at Wander.

"Turn around and cover your ears." He told him

HE didn't question it and did what he was told.

"What're you doing?" Sylvia said, her tough attitude had gone.

"Try to relax, and be brave."

RS Wander put his hand on her forehead, and she closed her eyes, as he did as well. They stood perfectly still.

"This is an example when Furnicles let their power go unchecked."

* * *

After the three talked they returned, everything resumed as normal and everyone chatted amongst themselves. Wander wouldn't let go of RS Wander, who tried to keep his cool, not liking that he was being hugged. Deena and Nate talked about unrelated subjects, enjoying themselves.

Sylvia sat quietly.

She didn't say a word, or moved.

"Wander, if I can call you that...when do we leave?" Wander asked his new mentor.

"Tonight, basically as soon as we can."

"Whoa, that soon? I better get ready." Nate hastened and went to get his things together.

His foster had told him the plans and was just as mentally ready and willing to help Wander.

"Anything I can do?" Deena asked.

RS Wander was about to say, then Wander cut in;

"Stay put and look after Sylvia, make sure she doesn't do anything reckless." He told her.

"Consider it done." Deena gestured a zip with her fingers.

"I'm not that easy to handle." Sylvia said.

"I've handled harder things." Deena glanced at her, grinning.

"And Wander..." Sylvia looked at the two,

They looked back, not sure which of them she meant for.

"I'm sorry. I hadn't the slightest clue what you meant back there. Now I understand why I have to stay." She glanced away, defeated

"It's alright. That's why I showed you." RS Wander grinned.

"How do you do it?" Sylvia ponders, looking at him in awe. "How did you manage all that without losing yourself?"

RS Wander only stared, then smiled.

"Sylvia back at home."

"Huh?" She was confused by his answer.

"It's complicated, but to put it simply she helped me out so I could live an easier life."

"Ah, that's good." She grinned.

"It took a long time to finally get a grasp of things...and stop hating myself." RS Wander watched the sparks from the flames float upwards.

"The least I want and can do for you all.. is keep everyone safe and won't turn against each other again."

"Understood." Sylvia replied, "Take care of him, will you?"

"I always keep a promise till the end."

Wander listened, watching the two switch off each other like close friends made him humbled. He crawled over to Sylvia and nestled against her side, giving her a hint he wanted to take a nap.

"I'm sorry I said those mean things to you, I tend to let my head say things before I can think."

"No offense taken," RS Wander said, he rested his arms behind himself,

"Sylvia says the same thing about me, not that I agree with her."

"She wasn't kidding." Sylvia snorted.

"What did you say?" He gave her a stink eye.

"Nothing."


	7. Chapter 7

"Why do you **do this?** "

 _ **"We're so alone**_ , Mono." "You lied to them."

"You _killed me._ "

"Please help us, Mono." " We're all dying here."

"All these years, and you still can't save us.." "You're a monster.."

"It's all your fault... "Nothing will ever change!"

"I'll...

kill .. you." " Why can't we all go back?" " **Your father** was a monster."

"Nothing will ever change!"

"Youateusallfornothingandwe'reallstillstarvingyourenothingtouswassacrificingyoursanityworthityourenotevenworthsavingstoppleasedon'tdragusfurtherintohellalrightimsorryisaidthatshutupwhydidyoutorchurethatchildbackthenandforcedanotherofourkindtodoyourbidding helpehelpstopnostophelphelphelphelpushelpmustfindandeatmorehelpmorebloodoffurniclehelphhelp!"

 **"Enough."**

* * *

Mono bit his forearm to make these horrendous thoughts stop. Blood seeped from his mouth, he cringed from his own fangs sinking into his skin. The moment they pierced, the voices stopped. He swallowed the blood and his muscles loosened up. The very feeling of it in his mouth was enough to make his eyes go black and blood red, claws retracting like razor-needles. And changed back to normal.

"Nothing will ever change, right? so you think."

If one were to watch him, they would think he's insane. He didn't care, and nothing would make him care. Dominator had let him sleep on the undamaged couch in a spare room, with only the lava-veins on the walls and floor as light. But he didn't need light, he could see perfectly in the dark, it was what he was made for.

"The only thing I refuse to change...is this plan of mine. I can finally be at peace once I accomplish it."

A voice responded, but not from the air, not from his head...

his back.

A face contorted, and slobbered to make words;

"Won't it **just make** it worse? What's **so -hic-** special about _him_?"

Mono only made an ugly laugh, "Go back to bothering the others."

"You're useless." It said cruelly, and went back into his body.

"Anyone else like to share their thoughts?" Mono yawned, talking to himself again.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes appeared into the darkness of the room, some different colors, some slit-shaped. They blinked rapidly and moved in different directions.

"She smells...nice.."

"Smell..."

"Can we eat her, please?"

"Better than hunting the Wander Furnicle..."

He only gave them a dry stare,

"If you mean Dominator, no. I need her for the plan to work."

"But... smells nice..."

The voices began to corrode him once more, and get louder and talk amounts each other...

Suddenly the lights turned on. The door opened.

"Hey fur-ball! time to.."

Dominator had come in to tell Mono it was morning, only to stop and look at the room covered in claw marks, blood spatter, and pieces of body parts...

"What...the...?"

Her speech failed her as she stared at the horror scene unable to comprehend what it meant.

"Oh, good morning!" Mono popped his head out of the sheets, taking her reaction as no more than a flick to the forehead,

"I'll be up in a few minutes, just wait up for me dear."

Dominator made a non-verbal nod, mouth gaping and closed the door.

"Up until now, I'm starting to question the rest of my choices in life.." She shuddered.

Mono laughed evil-heartedly. He was getting excited, today was the day he would find Wander and put his 50 years of planning into action.

"I'll devour him **, heart** and soul."

He laughed more, and shifted 10 feet bigger than his normal height. The eerie tone he gave spread into the air, it made it to the robots, they shook in fear, it was too intense for some of them, they shut and broke down.

" I'll show every last pathetic living thing what fear has to offer."


	8. Chapter 8

"Do you have everything?"

"As long as I have my hat, nothing else makes me happier." Wander beamed.

Deena gave Wander a thick coat to wear for the journey; she had an extra one she carried from her car. Wander wasn't sure how to zip it, so she helped him. It was a bit big for him, but comfortable. To her he looked like an over-sized burnt marshmallow.

Outside was freezing and sleet fell from the sky. There was no way his fur alone could keep him warm.

"I'd feel the same, the hat is awesome." She put her hand on the outer socket feeling it's texture.

"Reach in, and see what it'll give you." Wander encouraged.

She took it and put her paw in, something came between her fingers;

A fluffy blanket, black with white paw pattering on it. She laughed.

"Thanks so much hat, and you too." She patted Wander's head and scratched the fur antennas.

"It matches your hair, Deena." He giggled.

"You're right, it does."

"Wander!" Nate called from the entrance of the cave.

"That's your que, go on ahead." Deena gestured with one hand, blanket in the other.

Wander ran off excitedly, ready to go...then he came back and scooped her up into a hug.

"Almost forgot."

She hugged him back.

"I'm going to miss you; please come back in one piece, alright?" She held him tighter.

"You betcha."

"Wander!" Sylvia this time called.

He immediately let go. He was out of Deena's sight, but not in her heart. She felt the softness of the blanket's material. She took a guess, the hat gave her a blanket to feel warm and secure while in the cold weather outside.

 _I'll support and protect him, no matter what._

Wander reached the other two who're going with him, Nate all packed up, and RS Wander, annoyed as usual.

"We're already behind, what took you so long?" RS Wander huffed at him.

"Sorry." Wander chuckled.

"We're behind because your idea to leave last night was crazy." Nate muttered.

"And whose fault is that?" RS Wander shot at him.

"We stayed overnight because of the weather, there's no way we we're going to walk in that freezing rain, I'm not gonna die walking in it." Nate sassed.

"Don't talk to me that way." RS Wander shot again

"Says the one with the lack of an attitude adjustment." Nate tilted his head, challenging him.

"Excuse me?!"

While the two argued, Sylvia and Wander came into a tight hug; their own body temperatures made them stimulated.

"You be careful out there, you hear me?" Sylvia told him.

"I'll try my very best."

He let go and put his hand into his hat, and pulled out two of the phone-cans,

"The signal on these might not be good, but I'll leave one here. In case there's an emergency for either of us, use them." He told her.

She took one and gingerly held it.

"I want to come with you so badly."

"I know. But I wouldn't want to lose you, either."

Wander tightened his hands on her arms, letting her know it was going to be alright.

"Let's go, Wander." RS Wander shouted, making him flinch.

"Bye, love you buddy." Sylvia patted his back.

"You too, Syl." He made a sad smile at her.

* * *

Somewhere further out in the galaxy;

Lord Hater is losing his patience, to the point he nearly gave up on looking for Wander and Sylvia for the time being. Instead, he was forced by Peepers into the meeting room to make plans on what planets to take over next, as well as trying to avoid Dominator finding them.

It was obvious the skeletal leader was disinterested, he'd rather blow something up or beat Wander to a pulp at the moment. The large screen close to the ceiling revealed beautiful cosmos and small solar systems, some were marked with symbols and a cross skull of what was conquered, and what hasn't been conquered.

"..Accordance's are leading and showing up new planets and moons for the taking, I suggest we take action as soon as possible.."

Peeper's gave out orders to the Watchdogs, while Hater played with a ball of paper, then burned it with electricity.

"..What do you think, _sir?_ " Peepers stopped talking to catch him not paying attention, and he was right.

"SIR!"

"Huh?" Hater flinched out of his thoughts, "Um, sure.. it should work."

"If you say so. Watchdogs, you're all dismissed."

Once everyone of them left, Peepers yelled,

"FOR THE LOVE OF GROP, please for once focus at what's at hand, and forget about last month!"

"What's the point? Even if I do take some measly planets, Wander'll show up and just stop me. And when I do go..."

Hater sat up and leaned over, eyes glowering,

"What if he's not there and I can't chase him?"

"You just contradicted yourself, are you saying if we do go, you'd just be sad he's not there? Hater it's bad either way."

"You wouldn't understand." Hater rolled his eyes and slumped back into his chair.

Peeper's eye popped with shock,

"Sir...don't tell me...are you in love with him?"

Hater went dumb folded, then enraged.

"NO, that's so gross!" He banged his hands on the table.

"Calm down, I was just suggesting it. " Peepers shrugged with his hands.

"Still, ew." Hate placed his hand under his chin, going back to being bored.

"I think something else has been on your mind, wanna tell me?" Peepers pressed.

Hater rolled his eyes,

But the things he saw from weeks before...and the strange display of behavior and power Wander showed...made him wonder what it could all mean...

"No."

"Then, how about we talk about getting back to work on-"

Peepers was interrupted by something, a loud static noise pinched both of their ears and made them jump. It was as if a microphone was freaking out.

"Where's that coming from? make it shut up." Hater growled, glaring at the monitors.

"I don't know what it is, but I'll look."

Searching every inch of the room, he couldn't find its source...until he looked under the table, close to where Hater's feet were.

"How'd this get here?" Peepers said out loud,

It was the phone-can Wander gave them on Awesome's club party. It continued to ring randomly and white noise.

"Sir, do you have an explanation for this?" Peepers held the can, swaying it.

"I kept it in case it lead someplace Sylvia and Wander could be?" He shrugged.

"I can see that, but how? It doesn't have visual," Peepers sighed," And it if did.."

Suddenly alarms blared in the room, blinking red. The screen on the computer changed, arrows pointing an unknown location.

"What the flarf? what's going on?" Peepers stared at it, confused.

"Shut up, it's trying to show us something!" Hater stood up to look closer,

 _"System has found location of enemy,Wander, System has found location of enemy Wander."_

"So sudden..." Peepers said.

He went to computer and typed several buttons and yelled, "Search up the location, where is it?"

 _"100,067 miles away, in Icenic solar system, one of Icena's moons.."_

"Icena? That sounds familiar..." Hater wondered.

Peepers pushed and typed more buttons, then stopped. He let the computer find the location.

"Icena is Rockna's opposite system, it's a winter solar system. It's so cold on some of the planets that not many wildlife can adapt there."

 _"Hacking into system, location is-"_

"Wait, what?" Confused as to what it was talking about, Peepers typed more, the screen zoomed on a black vehicle,

A young female dog carried clothes from the car and into a cave right next to her...

"Who's that? That's not Wander-" Peepers began then was shoved by Hater, "Let me see!"

The woman went back to her car, behind her was a blue skinned creature...

"SYLVIA?" Both said at once.

 _"Think they'll be okay out there? I mean, the weather sure took a dive for the worse..."_ the female dog spoke to her,

 _"Wander and the others will be fine, after what I saw last night; I'm happy I didn't go.."_ Sylvia answered contently.

The computer focused on the car again, and from the inside of it, a holographic image popped up..

"I don't know what it means..." Hater began to cackle and smile," BUT WE FOUND HIM, YES!"

"Sir wait, if we go to search for him we have to-!"

"BLAH, BLAH, I'M GOING, stay there if you're so comfortable!" Hater sassed and left the room with a "YA-HOO!" into the hallways.

Peepers looked at the screen again, then it clicked.

"Ah, so the car's mapping system was picked up by ours. Maybe this can.."

He held up the communication device in his hand,

"..Had a reaction to it. Interesting."

* * *

As they traveled, the cold rain picked up...hitting against the orrble bubble that Nate, Wander and RS Wander were in. RS Wander was in a separate one as he lead the way, Nate carried Wander on his back, following their leader.

RS Wander turned to face them and walked backwards,

"Let's try to cover as much land as we can in the transports, rain is the orrble's biggest weakness."

"I'm surprised this hasn't popped yet. Also, how much further?" Nate called out over the loud rain.

"50 miles to the West, then we stop and camp!" RS Wander called back.

"Great, more walking. My legs are already killing me." Nate groaned.

"Hey, if you're gonna be a downer, go back." RS Wander said.

"Ugh."

"You can do it, Nate!" Wander pumped his fist, "I believe in you."

"I hope I can do it." Nate said, feeling a little cheered up.

...

They made the 50 mile walk, and settled for the night. Using his hat, Wander provided tents and blankets. One for him and Nate, and a separate one for the other Wander next to theirs. Once everyone settled in, Nate relaxed with Wander by telling him stories of when he was a kid, ones with his foster father, to good memories while he grew up on Rockna.

"That's so coooool!" Wander glowed with awe.

"I'm finished blabbing about myself, what about you, Wander?" Nate wrapped his blanket tighter, making a cat like face.

"Me, as in what was I like when I was a kid?.." Wander twirled his fingers happily,

But his thoughts weren't happy.

[...]

There were certain memories he'd rather not think about. Wander had done things he was never proud of, from stealing food to eat, tricking people to give him what he needed, to getting caught up in the middle of a war.. and stealing the Hat...

 _There were times I would hide inside the mountains with caves..and would stay there for days, no food or water..I was terrified and helpless to do anything..._

He remembered cuddling into a ball and crying, begging for someone to help him. Every day was a struggle to not be killed by larger predators.

...

"Wander? are you okay?"

Nate grew concerned, seeing he wasn't responding to any of his questions. Wander stopped thinking of the past and shook his head.

"My childhood isn't as interesting, I'd think it bore you to tears."

He forced a fake laugh, Nate saw the pain in his eyes moments ago. He decided to not ask again.

"Hey, can I come in?"RS Wander called from outside.

"Um, yeah you can." Nate said.

RS Wander lifted the tent, and sat close to them.

"Get some sleep, the more the better."

He looked at Wander,

"And something you should know, it's important."

"What would that be?" Wander smiled politely.

"From now on, you do as I say. Also, don't take anything I say too personally. Whatever comes from me is nothing personal. Make sure you have a clear mind and heart to do this training, Wander."

Wander's smile went smaller to a serious expression, he nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"That's all I have to say, and Nate.."

RS Wander looked at him and pointed,

"Before you get to bed, be sure have everything written down from what you know. As the days for the training get tougher, I'll need it."

"Alright."

"I'm going to sleep." RS Wander was going to leave, until he was hit with a pillow.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE..."

Wander holding his fluffy weapon in hands grinned evilly,

"Without A PILLOW FIGHT!"

He smacked one at his new mentor's face, hitting the tent wall then bouncing back on the cushy blankets.

Nate chuckled loudly at his former father being easily tossed like a rag doll by a simple pillow.

"NO NO, STOP! I DONT WANT TO-" RS Wander begged,

 _-Slam-_

Wander thrust another into his stomach, causing his eyeballs to bulge from the blunt force.

"Come on, it'll be fun! Besides, I'm not tired yet!" Wander announced excitedly.

RS Wander's eyes darkened and he glared a smile at him.

"You wanna fight? so be it."

As the two were about to throw more pillows at each other, two came flying in out of nowhere and hit them in the face.

Both stunned, they turned to look at Nate with a smug grin, pretending to write things down and looked at them

"Wasn't me."

"LIAR!" Both Wanders yelled, and attacked back.

This delayed their sleeping off by one hour.

* * *

"Wander, time to get up."

Sylvia shrugged the sleeping nomad from his slumber. She knew he hated it, but it needed to be done.

"Mmmgh, 10 more minutes." He grumbled.

"Just remember that this was your idea, you'd better wake up." Sylvia squeezed his shoulders, urging him one last time.

She left the room to go back to the kitchen, preparing themselves some breakfast.

RS Wander moaned and sat up, hugging his pillow.

"Today's the day."

...

After an hour of eating and stretches, RS Wander was ready to test out his skills. Today, for the next few years, he would learn to control and understand his powers, it was time to train. Sylvia watched while sitting in a lounging chair, with an umbrella to keep the sun from making herself hot.

"I'm here if you need me." She called out sweetly.

"You didn't need to come here until I called."

RS Wander took deep breaths. One strategy he wanted to try out was clear his mind of any stress that could ruin his concentration. As silly as it looked, he needed to meditate.

He did this for awhile, listening to the breeze, the tweets of birds, and the water gushing in the river close by.

 _That's so weird...I didn't know I could hear this good..._

He opened his eyes and loosed his posture and stretched.

"Now the real stuff happens."

He looked at Sylvia, who happened to fall asleep. He blamed the peaceful weather for it.

"Syl."

"Hmm?" She jerked her head up.

"You're way easier to wake up than I am." He smiled.

"Is it my turn?" She rubbed her eye.

"Yep, you're up." He patted her stomach.

RS Wander went back to his spot. He stretched his fingers.

Sylvia yawned, then put on a serious face.

"Wander, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Positive. If I don't take control or use the power to ward off danger, how can I protect anyone?"

She nodded."Go."

RS Wander concentrated on her face, and gazed into her eyes...

Sylvia felt chills and shivers down her spine. She giggled,

"Wow, that felt weird."

"Too light." RS Wander tried again and concentrated, putting more force.

Sylvia flinched, and became more stiff than a stick. Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"AHH! STOP! That tickles! HAHAH!"

She rolled on the ground, kicking as if someone was on top of her giving her a dose of merciless tickling.

RS Wander slapped his head, not expecting that sort of result.

"How can I be tickling when I'm not touching you."

He mentally dropped whatever force was touching Sylvia and she stopped rolling on the ground.

"That was good, or least to me it was!" She praised him.

"But I have to go...further." He said slowly.

Nerves were getting the best of him now, he wasn't sure if he could go on.

"You can, I'll be okay." She chirped and thumbed him up.

"I could _kill_ you." He trembled, fearing for the worst.

"The only thing you should fear is fear itself." She stood up to be ready once again,

"I trust you."

RS Wander sighed. He gave in.

"Ready."

RS Wander focused into the pupils of her eyes and put his being into one swift emotion...His eyes instantly turned black and blue iris slits. What Sylvia felt was on a different level, and it wasn't chills or tickles. Suddenly all trace of any happiness and calm was swallowed..

...

That night RS Wander had stopped for the day. He taken his best friend to rest in bed, while he was in the kitchen prepping dinner. He wasn't sure if Sylvia would be awake to eat.

"That...was..."

He didn't know what to say. Without doing it, his claws involuntarily retracted, he looked at each of them. He wasn't scared or as doubtful as before, but he still questioned his intentions.

* * *

Present day...

"Everyone awake and ready?"

Wander and Nate nodded, fully alert.

Nate's foster stomped his foot.

"So Wander, we start with simple exercises, I need to see how fast you can run, and for as long as you can. When you can't do it anymore, rest."

"Sounds simple enough!" Wander clapped zestfully.

"I like your energy, but don't get too happy about it." RS Wander waved his arm to come forward.

Wander obeyed and stood next to him.

"You see those valleys? run to them, and come back. And as fast as you can." He pointed while wrapping one arm on his shoulder, "Take as long as you need."

"Okay." Wander nodded.

RS Wander took two steps back,

"Ready, set...GO."

Wander zipped by like lightening. A trail of dust followed him, he was gone.

"Nate, time it for me now."

Nate looked at his watch, 8:39 am.

"Is this what you did to control your powers, too?" Nate asked, curious.

"More or less."

"Whatever that means." Nate muttered, he went back to writing notes.

RS Wander shrugged, "I don't expect him to come back soon so-"

A cloud of dust and mud hit them, putting them off-guard. Both of their mouths dropped as they saw Wander wave happily at them.

"I did what you asked, that was fun!"

Nate looked at his watch,

"One minute."

"That's not...possible." RS Wander coughed up the dirt that he accidently breathed in.

"What next, Wander?"

Wander made a little clap, ready for the next stage of whatever they needed to do.

"Same thing, only this time..."His mentor stretched his legs and cracked his knuckles,

"I'll be joining you. Let's race."

Wander made the high-pitched squeal, the old excited nomad was back in action. If Sylvia were there, she would've danced with joy, seeing him so enthusiastic again.

Both of them made running positions, Nate timed his watch again, and yelled "GO!"

The two were gone so fast, if you blinked, they may not have even been there.

Wander ran ahead, his trainer just inches close to him, intent on catching up.

"Last one there is a broken banjo! WHOOPEE!" Wander laughed and teased and went faster.

"Not by a long shot!"

He didn't want to admit it, but RS Wander was enjoying this. He liked it better than being stuffed in the caves and the tents. He always knew and did figure out that Furnicles weren't meant to be cooped up!

They were built to run and chase prey.

This fact he learned, he actually enjoyed. Like Wander, he hated being stiff and stuffed into a room.

"I'm not letting you win!" He declared.

They zigzagged like race cars, passing by large rocks, and without falling in...ran straight over a river, making waves. Wander's hat flapped against the air, it was happily enjoying itself as well.

"Wander! let's tag!" RS Wander announced.

He wanted to switch it up. It was time to test how fast he could catch something.

"Got it!"

"You're it!" RS Wander stopped and ran the other direction.

He smiled mischievously, getting the upper hand first.

"Try and catch me, loser-"

"Heya!"

RS Wander's heart skipped at beat, Wander was right next to him and running!

"How did you do that?" He panted, shocked.

"I don't know!" Wander giggled.

"Alright, Let's go back!"

"Okay!"

What happened next, his teacher wasn't fully understanding, first Wander was head, then came back from behind, and repeated the odd cycle.

 _What's going on?!_

"I'm gonna be nice about this...I'll let you win!"

An array of sparks and stars blew from behind him, the sky revealed millions of more stars in the sky, then the strumming of a banjo played, happy and upbeat notes filled the air. It was the most unusual.. yet stunning thing he'd ever seen, the stars were so vibrant they reflected in RS Wander's eyes. Meteor showers and flaming comets flew above them.

"What power..is this?" He breathed with awe.

"We're almost there!" Wander played faster with every step.

RS Wander put every last bit of effort to run, he went past Wander; who smiled graciously at him. He ran past Nate, and the octopus stopped the timer.

"5 minutes!"

"YAHOO! You won!" Wander cheered.

RS Wander stopped to pant and catch his breath, then fell to the ground chuckling.

"Wander?"

Nate couldn't help but get worried, he quickly went to check on him, then started to laugh nervously.

"You okay?"

"I am now for the first time in 50 years." RS Wander shut his eyes as he smiled and giggled.

Wander came up, and started to giggle with him; he bent on his knees.

"Are you sure this is part of the training? Coz that was awesome!"

"The whole part of me chasing after you wasn't, you dimwit." RS Wander bumped his fist on Wander's head, he tried to sound like he sarcastic but he couldn't keep his smile down.

"But you earned it, Wander."

For first time his mentor was willing to give him a one-armed embrace, making Wander lose balance and closer to both of their chests. He was not expecting it.

"But there's still things to do. For now just a few minute's break, we can move on to the next phase."

Wander hugged him back. Now it made RS Wander wish he didn't first, because he swore he heard his own spine snap.

 _"If I don't_ die _**first."**_ He choked.

* * *

An hour passed before all of them were ready to begin again.

"Nate, anything you want to share with us?" RS Wander asks, scratching his head.

"So far, no. Just only have the new information from earlier." Nate shrugged one sided shoulder.

"What's next?" Wander was looking carefully at both their faces for clues as to what they would be doing.

"This is going to sound strange, but you and I.. Wander, have the same abilities. Most of Furnicles do."

Wander gasped, "REALLY?"

"Before I go on, I want to say you did pretty well on the stamina part, you're fast. Faster than I imagined." RS Wander thumbed him up.

"Aw shucks, you didn't have to complement me." Wander made a smirky glance,

"That look of yours weirds me out. Anyways..."

RS Wander went to the side of where he stood and picked up his mace, suddenly frowning.

"We start now."

"What do you mean?-" Wander was puzzled, but didn't have the time to realize...

RS Wander with his weapon were heading straight for him!

"Don't hold back, Wander!"

An explosion burst, Nate couldn't see beyond the cloud of smoke. He was told his father would attack, and ordered to not intervene. Before falling asleep, RS Wander whispered into his ear while Wander slept;

 _"Just watch and observe."_

"Dad's idea of this was part of it. He said even if he were to kill Wander.." Nate's eyes glimmered with worry,

Another blast hit the ground and it shook.

"I can't stop him."

"Wander! What's going on?! Did I do something wrong-"

Wander tried to get his teacher to stop, holding his hand up and shouting to convince to put his weapon away, but he kept pursuing.

"If this is about the race or pillow fight, I'm SORRY!"

"Remember when I said..." RS Wander's face became blank and dark, he stopped striking,

Wander crawled on the ground, trying to get distance away from him, but he couldn't run away, he needed to know if he had upset his trainer in some way, he wanted to stay and listen.

RS Wander paced step by step, using the mace like a walking cane as he moved, his eyes glowed blue,

"..To no take anything personal?"

"But-"

RS Wander attacked again, a tinge of blood-lust on his expression..Wander felt the full force of his raw emotion hit his body like a car had slammed at full speed into his being, it pierced his flesh,

Wander's blood splattered into the air, knocking him upwards. With a loud grunt he hit the ground. His hat remained on his head even after the cruel attack; but it was ripped in several places.

There was no way he could do it, attack his friend to defend himself, much less hold his tears...

"Why?.." He coughed.

RS Wander's silhouette appeared, the smoke cleared; he still drew a blank expression. It didn't bother him that trails of blood were being left on the ground as he walked. He held it up with both hands as he came closer;

"Fight me now, or die."

RS Wander was about to hit, when Wander's eyes morphed black and green. Wander held out both of his hands in defense...

"NO!"

At the same time, RS Wander's expression changed, and his eyes changed to their dark colors...an invisible force threw them both back, causing another burst of dust to blind them. A light enveloped between them, Nate saw this and covered his face with one arm, wondering on earth what it was...

Both several feet away, they panted from panic and lied on their backs. RS Wander's mace was severely scratched, as well as his bandana and scarf were ripped in little places.

He begun to laugh.

"Hahaha! That was really unexpected!"

RS Wander chuckled uncontrollably and breathed a sigh of relief.

Wander sat up, holding his head in one arm, dizzy. He felt something wet on his hand, blood was oozing from his nose, and he sat there frozen and scared.

"Wander? Buddy?"

For a moment he thought he heard Sylvia call to him, even her body figure coming closer, but it revealed to be his teacher, whom was smiling at him.

"You've completed this part of the training, I'm proud of you."

Nate came running up, worried for the two of them. He saw they were moving at least, but wasn't sure how badly hurt, when he made it, he remained quiet.

"What happened to me? and why am I bleeding?"

RS Wander bent down and offered his hand, Wander took it and he helped him stand up. Wander looked at his hands, his finger tips glowed dots of lights, as if fireflies were on top of them, claws barely protruding.

"Wander, from this day on, you'll achieve the ability to control your emotions..control your cravings for flesh..."

RS Wander put his hands on his shoulders,

"You're well on your way to Pathokinesis. It's the Furnicle's greatest weapon."


	9. Chapter 9

After first day of training was over, the three campers relaxed for the night. Prepping dinner with some food they caught from the river, they pitched in. Wander and RS Wander put all their effort into the food, and made a fire outside their tents. The hard work made RS Wander sweaty so he took off his bandana for the time being; but left his scarf on to keep his neck warm.

The two of them became closer friends than they were hours ago, or compared to one week before. Now they poked and teased at each other endlessly, Nate had to help them stay on track with the food, but he enjoyed watching them get along.

"Okay, okay! so try me!" Wander begged his teacher, his cheeks puffy with enthusiasm.

Without having to put much try into it, RS Wander put his current mood into Wander's brain, which was a feeling of fun and excitement;

Wander felt it, his eyes became bigger with happiness. He wrapped his torso with his arms, they stretched like rubber bands around himself. He made squeaky noises.

"You're gonna get drunk off of happiness, aren't ya." RS Wander blew a raspberry, and laughed at Wander's face.

"Aw, it's all gone."

The feeling he had moments ago vanished, he took in a sigh...it felt so good.

"It's only because I stopped making you feel it." RS Wander diced their dinner into smaller pieces.

"Can I make it stop, too?" Wander pressed his lips.

"With practice, you can put in your emotions and thoughts into someone else, and make it last as long as you want."

"That's...so coool." Stars and glitter sparkled and danced around Wander, his face puffy with zest and fist against his chin.

RS Wander raised a brow, "Right now, I don't even have to use my ability to see your current emotion. It's pretty apparent."

 _Has he always been able to do this? and just not aware?_ He wondered.

Food was ready and they all sat down to eat. Nate chatted with Wander, both laughing again with each other's jokes, puns and conversations. RS Wander would pitch in, then eat and listen. He carefully read over Wander's current mood, body language and face. He could easily feel his current emotion and soul level, it was content and happy. It reminded him when he was able to read Sylvia's moods, whether happy or sad. Hers were on a similar level, he almost thought Wander was her, sitting in front of him.

...

"Sylvia, how're you feeling?"

RS Wander sat on her bed, patting her head. She faintly smiled and opened her eyes,

"I'm fine, a little discouraged from what you made me feel, though."

"I'm really sorry about that." RS Wander fell to shame, "I had to do it."

"I know, and it's not your fault. But what happened to me after it?" Sylvia sat up to rub her head, still feeling the after-effects from his pathokinises.

"After I put despair in you, you conked out. Aside from good emotions that make most happy, I have to use negative ones, too."

"Oh."

She treaded on that moment, wondering what it meant to have passed out from such a simple level of hopelessness...

"Wander, does it mean...I'm not strong?" She said sadly.

"What?" RS Wander jumped, "Of course you are! you're one of the toughest gals in the universe, at least to me."

Feeling in the moment, he jumped on her stomach and placed his chin on her chest;

"I see a beautiful, strong Zbornak who I'm willing to fight for, and I know you'd do the same for me."

Sylvia pretended to be confused, seeing this charade he was playing,

"Alright, who are you? and what have you done to Wander? I don't see you just jump on me like some kid." She teased.

"You're wide open."

His irises tinged bright blue, sending the signal to tickle her. She immediately contorted and kicked her legs,

"NO STOP! IT TICKELS!" She roared with laughter.

"Never." He stuck his tongue out at her.

He temporally stopped the tickling sensations, letting her calmly speak.

"Thanks for telling me, Wander. I know what you did today didn't mean any harm." She picked him up from her chest to hug him.

...

He played that sweet memory over and over, and remembered how good it felt to have control of yourself.

"Anyways, what're we going to do tomorrow?" Wander finished his plate, eager to talk about more training.

RS Wander shook the pleasant memory out of his mind, and folded his arms as he sat,

"We'll be practicing your emotions of course, and how to defend yourself using them."

Nate quickly swallowed, and grabbed his pen and notebook, "How do you do that? That sounds difficult."

"It can. It took myself several years to manipulate my own feelings as a defensive mechanism." RS Wander pointed out, then frowned.

"Also by the way, Wander...,"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about today. Hitting you and pushing you into a corner like that, it was part of you learning to how react in a situation when something will try to take you down. If I pushed you hard enough-"

"I would push back, I understand." He smiled.

RS Wander gaped slightly, then grinned.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Nope. I forgive ya."

"Thanks. Wanna hug it out?" RS Wander smiled,

Nate was suddenly suspicious looking at his face...

"YES!" Wander didn't hesitate to jump over the fire and into his teacher, the two of them rolled into a medium-sized ball of fluff and further out in the land. Nate turned his shoulder and watched the two of them disappear into the dark.

"You fell for my trap." RS Wander grinned evilly.

RS Wander started to torture his student with a hoard of tickles. He laughed uncontrollably, his laughter echoed through the air. Nate rolled his eyes and chuckled at the thought that two people who were exact same were having fun by messing around. He went back to his notes.

"What could I use in this situation? I don't know which emotion." Wander stopped tickling and thought deeply.

"Same as me, or to prevent from being touched, use a shield. But you can't do that yet."

"Wait, wasn't I able to do that today?" Wander gasped, "After I got scared, you weren't able to touch me."

"Yeah, you did at that time. The challenging part is having it protect you in times of need or not. That's what tomorrow will be working on."

"Thank you so much for doing all this for me."

The two watched the stars, only little patches of clear skies were visible. Wander could sense it was going to rain down sleet later in the night.

"You're welcome. I'm helping because I know the feeling of what it's like to be living in fear."

Wander didn't look at him…but after that, he started to tear up. Wander hugged him one-armed.

"Are you sure you wanna be doing that?" RS Wander smirked.

More laughter eroded the air as he tickled Wander again.

* * *

Back at the cave, it had stopped snowing outside, but the wind was biting cold. Deena and Sylvia bundled up with what they had by the fire. Sylvia's teeth chattered, she kept her mouth close to prevent them from doing so, but they still shook.

Deena was warm and snuggled up inside the blanket Wander had given her; and reading a fantasy novel. The cold air was below 32 degrees and she wasn't bothered by it. She took the time and opportunity to relax and not think about Wander, or her mission. Seeing how much he improved slightly before he left, she held high hopes for success in his training.

"Help me out." Sylvia chuckled.

Deena's moment of bliss was interrupted and she looked at her,

"Yeah?"

"I think I'll stop being as cold if we talk about something."

Sure enough as soon as she spoke, her teeth chattered loudly. Red became visible on her face, showing embarrassment.

"Or…" Deena began and patted her blanket, "You could sit next to me, if you want."

Her suggestion made Sylvia tick.

"Pfft please, don't get all soft on me." She huffed.

The agent shrugged. "Your funeral."

A moment of silence came, and only the wind whistled from outside.

"Deena…"

A guilty sounding Sylvia sighed, "I'm sorry I embarrassed you that day."

Deena closed her book gently, and frowned.

"I keep saying it wasn't your fault to myself; but I'm not one that's easy to forgive."

"I knew it."

Deena raised her eyes at her, curious.

"You hate me, I get it."

"Yep, I sure do." Deena grinned.

"You mean that?"

Deena laughed, trying to make the mood lighter.

"Lighten up; I'm still upset.. but I don't hate you."

Sylvia made a sympathetic frown,

"Deena, there's something that this one person told me…"

Sylvia thought of the mirror…and her other side that convinced her other wise of her true feelings for Wander…

"Everyone has a part of themselves that will always hate; we hide it from others so they don't get scared or hurt. So please…"

Sylvia sighed, eyes dark,

"Tell me how you feel."

Her own eyes became blank, and Deena put her novel on her lap.

"I do hate you. I hate what you've done to those people at that party, and to me. What you've done to Wander."

Her voice was nothing short of that of resentment.

"When I took this job, and was informed you were the case, I was ecstatic. I was happy to be alongside with my two favorite heroes. I had heard such great things about you and how you trumped Lord Hater and his minions a lot."

Heartbroken that she felt like this, Sylvia wanted to offer some comfort, but she kept listening.

"I knew something wasn't right with you the moment I saw you there. You had this jaundice look about me and everyone, but I had to follow my mission and not say anything."

"I..I must've appeared terrible."

At the time, it didn't bother Sylvia that she took it in her own hands to have "fun," and to do it she made others suffer. She forgot about Wander and everything he showed her how to be kind and helpful. And tossed all sense of morality away.

But now it was the chance to defend herself,

"I'm sorry for everything. Please know that. Are you aware that Awesome put me under a spell?"

Deena gasped.

"I knew you did something that caused your personality to fluctuate. But…no."

"What..?"

It shocked Sylvia that she wasn't known of the fact that she was forced to drink a toxic drink.

"But it's no good excuse for me, I still pulled all the stupid stunts on you. I deserve punishment, or a slap on the face, at least-"

"Sylvia, I'm sorry." Deena blurted out,

She looked away and put one paw on her mouth to quiet her oncoming cries.

"I had…not the slightest clue that Awesome did that to you."

Guilt racked her very being. She let her personal feelings cloud her judgment and was embarrassed by it. She regretted saying her previous words, knowing how much it must've hurt.

"You're forgiven."

Big, watery tears fell from Deena's eyes and she slowly.. looked at the woman in front of her into her dark pink orbs;

"I get it. I totally do; when hate takes over everything we lose our way. I mean...," Sylvia laughed and slapped the side of her head,

" _I'm_ no _better,_ I too, done other terrible things and that doesn't make me perfect. Wander's done some stuff, too. But you know what? we just keep going, and try to do to better."

"That's a great thing to admit."

Her opinion was forever changed at that moment. Here sat a wonderful and honest woman with a truly big heart, and one that needed mending. _Everyone in fact_ , Deena thought…needs help in forgiving and moving on.

All trace of hate was gone from Deena's expression, allowing Sylvia to relax.

"I'll take up on your offer."

Seeing that the fire was low, and getting darker in the cave, Sylvia walked to Deena's side and wrapped her own blanket around themselves. Within seconds their body temperatures collided and became warmer.

"Let's get some sleep, we'll both feel better if we do."

Sylvia laid like she did; into a ball, Deena next to her side. The agent was surprised to find how squishy her belly was underneath. She was getting sleepy by each second.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me, Deans?" Sylvia offered.

Deena yawned.

"Thank you for tonight. But…"

She paused, her face firm.

"I need to tell you why I was sent to find you and Wander..."

Sylvia's eyes popped, not expecting her to say that, she raised her head,

"We have to stop Maylynn.." Deena's eyes drifted and she fell asleep.

"….Maylynn?"

Confused, she put aside the thought and fell asleep herself.

* * *

Mono bowed to Dominator, a cheery smile on his face.

"Everything is repaired and fixed, ma'am."

"Whoa, it looks better than before."

New equipment was ready to be used, the place was also spotless thanks to both of each other's teamwork.

"How's your arm?" Mono pointed to the bandages.

"Sore, but I'll live."

All the robots were feeling cheery as well, they put up tools and completed their tasks, closing the outer panels of machinery and went off to do their own thing.

"It's about time we go." Dominator smiled gleefully.

"Couldn't agree more." Mono snapped his fingers.

Dominator went to her computer, typing down information that was foreign to Mono, but he watched her.

"My sensors found a detection device on Wander. Someone put one on him, and he wasn't aware of it; my satellite is looking for it right now."

"I see."

A moment later, the screen revealed a blue planet half-covered in snow.

"Found him! Most likely the other idiots are there, too."

Her perky self was back in action. She couldn't wait to have their heads on a platter.

"Very well. I'm going." Mono turned the other way,

Dominator stopped looking at the screen, "Wait, you're…not staying?"

"My part is over, for now. You just follow me. And do what you're known best for, darling."

Mono squinted his eye to her, he gave her a non-verbal hint. She gasped slightly then smiled.

"Ah, I get you."

She made a shooing gesture and played with the ship's controls.

"You go on. I'll catch up; be sure to make them suffer." She hissed happily.

"My pleasure."

Mono made a toothy grin, and turned to leave. He wouldn't need a ship to get to his destination, he had his own ways of reaching there.

A sad face fell on him;

"I'm coming, dad. I'll save you. Just a little longer."


	10. Chapter 10

Wander was up before anyone, meaning he only slept a few hours. Too excited for the day's training to lay around any longer. He decided to get a fire going, and to do it the quick way, his hat provided matches and let up the remaining firewood left from before.

"Gonna go get Mr. Scarf-Wander, he'll be just as excited, too!"

Wander rubbed his hands together with a huge grin.

Excited was the wrong choice of words, his teacher was in a deep slumber, drooling, arms and legs sprawled over his sleeping bag and fur tangled up on his head. RS Wander was exhausted from the day before, the tickling fights from hours ago, sucked up most of his energy.

Wander's hat appeared slowly, eventually his eyes peering over to his teacher's sleeping side..

"Rise and shine!" He summoned his banjo playing a happy tune.

"Shut it, Sylvia…" -snort-

Wander continued to sing cheerfully; but it made his trainer more annoyed.

"Why me…?" He groaned.

"Come on, it's time to eat and go!" Wander shook his shoulders.

"Please, it's like 4 am in the morning, go bother Nate about it."

RS wander pulled his bag over himself, hoping he would leave him alone.

"And don't try to make me get up, please," He pointed a finger at him.

Wander took it all blankly, not expecting that sort of result from his morning greeting.

"Make you get up? Hmmm." He thought smugly.

If the training is about evoking emotions and moods then how about…

Wander thought hard, and worked to aim his mood into his sleeping teacher;

What came next, his teacher bouncing up and down uncontrollably under the blankets then against the tent's thin material, rickochet up and down against his will.

His body had become crumpled and and tangled, eyes flashing stars.

"I'm awake." He shook his head, to clear his vision.

"Great!" Wander clapped happily.  
...

It happened too quickly when RS Wander found himself sitting by the fire, holding a bowl in his hands, dumbfounded.

"He's already learning insertion, it's happening so fast."

A sun was barely over the valleys, stars still visible in the sky. RS Wander wanted to sleep, but the drowsiness wasn't in him. Vaporized by the other nomads excitement. His scarf and bandana were in the tent, making him appear naked without them.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Wander chirped, holding a cauldron and put it atop the fire.

"What did you make this time?" RS Wander half-yawned.

"Caramel oatmeal."

"Huh?" RS Wander squinted his eyes, "What's caramel?"

"Oh my gersh, you've never had it? It's delicious!" Wander smacked his lips at him.

"If you say so."

When it was finished cooking, his teacher's expectations were more than thrilled by the breakfast provided.

"You were right, this is super good!" His eyes gleamed in delight.

"Not as good as the sunrise, look!" Wander pointed at the sky.

Now the sun was seeping over the horizon, making the temperature warmer. It was still freezing, but not as much before. Snow clouds were leaving, giving a hint that the day was going to be partly cloudy with sun.

"The universe never ceases to amaze me." Wander made a sentimental sigh.

"I wish I felt the same." RS Wander looked down at his hands; and the wraps on his arms; he rubbed over them.

"Aw, don't be like that, if you have a mutual respect for the galaxy, it's not horrible to you." Wander patted his head.

"I don't share my real feelings for things, because I don't want to expose my weaknesses." RS Wander said softly, semi-sad.

Wander's own smile went flatter, he wondered what he meant by that.

"I grew up thinking no one wanted to be friends with me…. some knew what I was, and they would run away thinking I would come after them. I didn't have a hat like yours, Wander. So to get by, I became a Bounty Hunter-"

Wander jumped like a group of fireworks blasting away,

"Oh, my GOSH! just like Sylvia!" He pressed his face hard against his, making RS Wander forget how to breathe,

"You bidn't met me finish!"

"Oh, my bad!" Wander gave him back the space.

"Anyways," RS Wander sighed,"I joined a group of other hunters willing to pay me, they didn't care about my Furnicle history, as long as I brought in the targets.."

RS Wander would nervously glance back and forth expecting to be judged for his past actions. It was something he was never proud of after he left his former job.

He smiled,

"..I found her, she wasn't very dangerous to me then, but I was assigned to hunt her down anyways. I even turned down the job, because I thought it was dumb to hunt down a Zbornak that didn't pose as a threat."

"Sylviaaaa, Syl, Syl!" Wander's eyes showcased hearts and he rubbed his cheeks.

"She was an odd one, she would try this antic of me being her friend. She didn't know what a Furnicle was ethier, and she didn't care. As weird as she was, she was always nice to me. I had this mind-set that I didn't deserve respect because of what I was then. Bounty or monster; it didn't matter to her. She would put us both into risky situations to test me, and it wasn't out of the norm where one of us was nearly killed everyday..I stopped caring about me trying to escape death, and started to worry for her safety."

He made a genuine chuckle;

"Dumb Zbornak, showing that I, actually mattered, making me all soft; I tried to hide how I felt for so long…"

He closed his eyes, listening to the air wisp past his ears..  
….

He panted heavily, eyes frazzled as he stared at his savior.

"You…..saved me…"

RS Wander's jacket, vest, and boots were torn, he'd just escaped falling to his death after being chased by a massive moth coming for him, Sylvia just in the last second.. grabbed his wrappings and pulled him to safety over the cliff he fell off of.

"Well, yes. Because you're my friend." Sylvia smiled at him.

For the shortest amount of time traveling with her, he hated that look, that smile she gave him. At one point, Wander thought it was all a ploy to trick him into thinking he could trust her; and eventually abandon him or try to get rid of him because of the despised species he was.

"I don't deserve love, much less a friend...I'm something to always to hate on. I've lived with it…"

He didn't mean to say it out-loud, but he didn't care. He was in a corner and he needed out...

But finally.

It broke. There were many times Wander came close in the face of certain death... but unlike just moments ago, it hit home. He couldn't bear it anymore.

"Wander,...is something wrong?" Sylvia grew concerned, she reached out with her arms,

At first he tried to not take steps towards her, the lifelong doubt tried to keep him put where he was, but pushed it…

He wrapped his scratched and cut up arms around her neck.

Sobbing. He rarely cried, and hadn't done so since he was young.

"I was so scared. I thought it was really the end, Syl. And you saved me."

His tears soaked the fur on his neck and on her yellow scarf.

"Shhhh, it's okay buddy. I'm always here to help."

"Help?" He croaked his words, they were almost incoherent.

"Yeah, it's pretty much what I do."

She rubbed the back of his head, letting him cry more on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Syl. You made me realize what I needed most."  
He hugged her tighter.

...

"We've been stuck together ever since." RS Wander sighed happily.

The moment his life changed for the better was one of the most happiest and frightening all at once. He'd never forget it.

He took one look at Wander and jumped,

"What's with you?"

Wander's eyes were filled with tears overflowing his face,

"That's so beautiful." He sobbed.

"Uhhh…" RS Wander wasn't sure what to say.

Wander gave him a massive hug, but this time not cutting off his airways. RS Wander wrapped one arm around his back, giving in.

"I didn't like being hugged, even when I was a kid. I would always stiffen up, even when Sylvia hugged me all the time."

Wander didn't respond but he still clung to him. That suddenly made the former hunter worried,

"Wander?"

He heard soft breathing; Wander had fallen asleep. The moment he did, RS Wander felt drowsy.

"You wouldn't allow me to be tired, you're learning so fast." He yawned.

He decided to hold off the training a little longer, a tired teacher makes a slack student. RS Wander held Wander bridal style and went back to his tent. And made themselves comfortable.

An hour passed when Nate finally woke up, he wasn't surprised to find Wander wasn't there, so he got up, expecting him to be going on and talking outside. That time he was surprised.

"Where could he gone to?" Nate rubbed his hair and face, wiping the sleep away.

He checked into the 2nd tent; there they were, two identical Wanders next to each other, his foster on his side, facing left; Wander the same position, sleeping soundly.

"Lazy-bums." Nate huffed and chuckled.

Before leaving them alone, he quietly took Wander's hat, Nate hadn't had coffee in weeks, so he hoped it would give him some.

"Don't sleep too long, Wander." He said indirectly.

* * *

"Morning, Deena."

On the other part of the planet, Sylvia was up and about making breakfast; she went in and out of the cave gathering snow and turning it into boiling water. The sleep did help like she'd hoped, more positive and less bitter towards the agent who slept by her side.

Deena rubbed her eyes and yawned, her dark blue pj's were rumpled, the shirt exposing her stomach and mammary glands. She noticed this and timidly pulled it down, hoping the Zbornak didn't notice.

"Morning."

"Were you warm enough?" Sylvia asked, ticking the cooking spoon in her hand.

"Yeah, I was, thanks to you and Wander's blanket." She smiled.

"It suits you." Sylvia teased, and brought one arm around her.

"Embarrassingly enough, yeah."

"Let's eat up."

Deena sat on blankets used as the only thing for chairs against the cold hard surface of the cave. She forgot that she still had the prized blanket in her hand and she happily put it on her lap to warm up her legs.

After eating and conversing for some time, Deena remembered something;

"Hey, Sylvia?"

"Hmm?" She swallowed her food quickly to speak.

"The night Wander and the other two left, what did you and him talk about?" Deena tilted her head, curious.

"Oh, dumb me being a worry-wart, and convincing him he shouldn't go." She snorted.

"But after that, the other Wander joined you: and when you all came back...you were...different?" Deena tried to describe.

Sylvia's cheerful demeanor melted off. A second later, tears threatened to fall.

"He...showed me things that were beyond awful."

"Showed you things?"

Sylvia nodded, remembering the emotions of despair filling her body;

"This is what happens when Furnicles don't keep themselves in check."

RS Wander held her hand tightly, and put one hand on her forehead:

She felt pain beyond belief; she felt his past struggles and fears corrupt his mind and overtake his body, it was in a vast swimming pool of hideous emotions, ones she never thought to feel or existed. She watched him cower into a ball, alone and hold his head in despair. His power was controlling him, blasts of air and raw emotions destroyed everything, and they touched rocks and hills in the area he occupied and they were wiped out of sight; he cried and cried, Sylvia cried with him, and copied his movements and behavior, her own past mistakes and pain working against her. Tripling the pain. It was worse than someone torturing her. They became one, the same, and into something else entirely, the body transforming into shapes of black flames..

Sylvia jolted, ending the dream. She breathed in precious oxygen; as if someone forced her to breath in water before she drowned. RS Wander stepped away slowly, holding in his own breath. He looked down, remorseful.

"I've never shown anyone that, not even Sylvia from home, much less you."

"Is it over?" Wander peeked one eye, as he was told to block his ears and sight.

"Yeah." RS Wander said, finally letting in a sigh.

* * *

"No one should go through what he did; at the time, I understood." Sylvia finished.

"When you said you saw "black flames" what did you mean?" Deena asked intently.

"I don't know what I saw, I thought it was some part of his feelings or something like that," Sylvia shrugged lazily,

"What I do know, is that Wander is going to do well, and work hard; so he doesn't have to hurt anymore."

Deena nodded, taking it all in. She didn't think twice about the fact that Furnicles could feel, much less think for themselves. She was told they only lived by what they were told to do and not help. Much like Nate who thought the same.

"They're cursed." Deena said softly, making the walls echo.

"Who's cursed?" Sylvia asks.

"Nothing."

"What kind of creature has the power to use feelings against someone, I've never heard of that." Sylvia watched the flames of the fire spark and flicker.

"I think...if they can take control of someone's mind like that…" Deena began, an ominous look in her eyes,

"It would be catastrophic."

To change the subject, Sylvia made a sly grin,

"By the way, Deena…"

"Yeah?"

"Your shirt showed your stomach and I saw everything." She giggled.

Deena's face exploded with red and smoke, her eyes turned frazzled and white with panic. She wrapped her arms around her torso.

"You weren't..s-supposed to see t-that."

"It's okay, we're both girls, it's just us here. No need to be ashamed." Sylvia laid back with her arms across her head.

"Please, I need a hug. I tend to get clingy when I'm embarrassed."

"Weird request, but I'll take it." Sylvia made a motherly smile to her.

The two of them calmed down and enjoyed the rest of the morning.

* * *

"AHH!"

RS Wander jumped himself awake, remembering he was supposed to be up and training. He looked around to see he was covered in blankets next to Wander, who still slept.

"Grop, grop, grop!" He panicked and got up, shaking his student, "Wander, get up!"

He snuggled himself deeper into the blankets, smacking his lips.

RS Wander put more force and mental feeling:

"GET UP!" He shouted.

"RAUGH AHH!" Wander sat up, eyes extremely puffy.

"We have work to do, come on!"

"Can't I sleep for a few more minutes?" He yawned.

"No, it's been past that, we gotta do it." RS Wander shook his head.

"Okaaay."

The two made it out of the tent, and to see Nate reading his notes next to a mug of cold coffee.

"Oh, hi. I was wondering when you'd two would beat the bush." Nate smirked at his foster.

"Shut it." RS Wander shot at him, too tired to be dealing with his teasing.

"What ti-uoum is it?" Wander yawned again, it made his sentence hard to understand.

"Mid-afternoon." Nate replied.

"Ughh." RS Wander groaned.

"Before we point fingers on who's fault it is, let's just get started, okay?" Wander patted his teacher's shoulder.

"I'll get my things."

It took another hour before any of them were ready and fully awake to begin the training session.

"Today, we're learning control and going over your current emotions." RS Wander announced, fully clothed in his red scarf and bandanna.

Nate was off to the side behind him holding his notes.

"Anything you wish to share with us before we start?" RS Wander looked over his shoulder at him.

"I can give the origins and studies of the Pathokinesis ability." Nate offered.

"Really? Go on."

Wander was now interested.

Nate cleared his throat, "Many years ago, a creature of the Cupid species struck a young Furnicle into the back, it did not fatally kill him; but left him with the heightened senses to read the feelings of fellow family members and those close to him-"

"OHHHH, A CUPID?"

Wander's eyes sparkled, he smacked his face with his hands and kicked his feet.

RS Wander rolled his eyes, starting to regret getting his son to share the information.

"I'll go on;"

"Furnicles at the time, were on the mind-level of depending on their instincts to hunt and not show love, they didn't know how, until the cupid struck the child that day. Thus: the era where they began to use rational thinking came into play and showed interest and passions for things other than hunting prey."

"That's soooo coooool!" Wander clasped his hands, and daydreamed.

"What does...a cupid have to do with it?" RS Wander gestured his hand, not believing it, "Cupids were supposed to be some crazy legend."

"I could be wrong, and they may have made it up too, but I remember reading something that explains it better in the books at home."

"You've lost me, but I'm listening. Not sure if he still is, though." RS Wander looked at Wander, still gleaming with rainbows and sparkles.

"Researchers and scientists took blood and DNA tests, they found two results from two different individual Furnicles; one had a substance in her blood, it was smooth and opaque liquid, the other one, a male; did not."

Curiosity was nipping at him now, RS Wander listened intently and ignored the happy sounds Wander made.

"They injected it into rats for tests, they showed behaviors of affection; in the next few months of studies, they made records of the different reactions with the substance and with the blood of the male Furnicle, the rats showed variations of agitation, and cannibalism."

Both Wanders flinched ever lightly at the last few words, making them tense. RS Wander's eyes shrunk with fear.

"The substances were given names, the one that affected the rat's level of affection was called "Altium" meaning a chemical substance that had high levels of dopamine and other chemicals making the rats display other forms of emotion."

"Altium.." RS Wander repeated.

"The other non dopamine substance was called "Lestium", meaning little or less levels of dopamine from the male Furnicle, aside from rats they tested it on slugs and snails, they ate each other within minutes of the injections of the Lestium."

That made RS Wander relive the moments when he came after other people and was starving, he could never understand back then why.

"But does that mean…" He started, "We have Lestium in our bodies?"

Guilt and fear dug its teeth again in him, he feared again one of them would run away and leave him behind.

"Yes, but not entirely. There's more according to the research, those that had Altium passed down to their families thought more rationally, displayed behaviors of self-control and affection to their own kind and other people."

"I have it."

Both looked at Wander to see both of his hands over his chest, and smiling.

"I love people. I love Furnicles, why should I not? I love this whole universe." He blushed at them.

"I'm not a scientist, but looking at you, I can tell you have it." Nate winked at him.

"What does this mean for me?" RS Wander kept his eyes on the ground.

"I've gone after you when you were small, I tried to eat people; I've done the worst things imaginable. Lestium turned me into a monster, thus I still have it-"

"You don't."

RS Wander felt Nate and Wander's hands on his shoulders, giving him looks of comfort;

"You're more than your levels of Lestium and Altium put together, they don't define you." Wander caressed his face, making his teacher slightly pink, but let him talk,

"You're my dad, you pushed through all that and Sylvia showed you could be her friend, didn't she?"

"I am..?"

Again he reminded himself he wasn't in the past and many looked up to him, even when Nate's parents were alive they saw him as a dear comrade, not an apex predator.

He snorted, kicking himself for sounding silly and letting his old doubt fall on him.

"That cupid had the right idea, he or she just wanted us to be good people." Wander wanted to put it into a positive note.

Nate laughed heartedly at the thought, and agreed.

"Thanks Wander. I owe you one."

RS Wander moved their hands off and made a serious smile,

"Let's start."


	11. Chapter 11

The first 5 minutes after they started...were a bit awkward. RS Wander paced in aimlessly in different places, and whistled to break the silence. It was getting to the both of them. Nate had long gone back to their resting site, assured that his job was done. To move forward Wander finally spoke;

"What do you want me to do? You haven't told me what I should be doing." Wander scratched his back.

"Remember what I said; don't take anything personal or to heart." RS Wander reminded him.

He brought out his mace, and finally was taking the job in front of him seriously. He was waiting for his student to do anything to start, but he just stood there. Now, he figured it was time he made a move.

"I'm going all out, Wander. And,.. I won't hold back, I expect the same of you."

Wander was appalled by that.

"What! No, I could never fight or hit you!" Wander exclaimed, putting his hands in front of himself.

"You don't get a say in the matter,"

RS Wander tapped the handle of the mace on his shoulder, "You fight, or die. That's your options."

It was making him uncomfortable, Wander scratched his arms, butterflies swelled up in his stomach.

"I'll go gently, I suppose." Wander shrugged, still reluctant.

The alternate Wander rolled his eyes.

"As you wish. But don't come cryin' to me if you get hurt. I also suggest getting your own weapon, use the hat."

That reminded Wander of his hat so he pulled out whatever it gave him:

A rubber hammer.

Even Wander was baffled by the choice the hat gave. He expected something of actual solid matter; looking at the hammer in askance.

"Nice toy."

RS Wander also looked at the hat, and guessed even in the situation, it also didn't take any of them seriously. Grop help him.

"I guess this is all I got." Wander said, and shrugged.

"Come on! Hit me with everything you have!" RS Wander enforced, and swung his mace in a twirl to behind his back.

Wander ran and did hit him...but with no effect. He landed on RS Wander's face; he didn't flinch, and stared at him panning. The hammer made a comical squeak.

"Me next." RS Wander made a sudden, sadistic hiss.

A bright and blinding light exploded in Wander's face, knocking him back, RS Wander came flying to swing at him, in mid ground Wander saw this and panicked, and held the hammer in front as defense.

The mace hit the rubber hammer's handle, counter blocking him.

"Do you have to be so rough?" Wander cried.

"Do you have to be such a wimp? If you don't attack back, I can be more than just a little rough!" RS Wander screamed in his face.

He butt his head against Wander's.

Spinning, Wander struggled to stand, he was dizzy. Now, irritation was getting to him.

"Ahh.. I feel some resent going on, am I right?" RS Wander heartlessly chuckled.

Furrowing, Wander looked at him, hurt.

"Why are you doing this? I thought...we were friends."

RS Wander spat on the ground;

"Sure we are, but not **now**. Being friends with the enemy will get you killed. At this moment.." RS Wander lazily bent over, one leg crossed,

"I'm doing everything I possibly can to push you to your limit."

He jumped at him again, hitting and missing Wander, all he could do was duck and narrowly dodge every attack he swiped, not one lick of remorse and hesitation was read from his teacher's expression…

Until he stopped to jump back, slightly panting and held out one hand, light from his fingertips made a transparent circular shield, Wander; who wasn't fully trained yet in reading emotions could still tell it was an offense attack!

A beam of sparking light fired, Wander could only jump out of the way, bug-eyed. The light stopped, RS Wander's fingers smoked from the tips.

"But…" Wander held his fists, "An enemy is a friend you haven't made yet! That's what I always believed!"

There had to be a way around this, he thought, less fighting and more on using emotions as a shield, anything to prevent from hurting himself and his teacher.

RS Wander rolled his eyes and scoffed, "You really don't get it, do you?"

In the blink of an eye, he was right behind Wander…

"..For a Furnicle like me, I could kill you with just one touch." He whispers,

And struck him hard with his fist, hitting Wander on the side of the head, sending him flying. The force accumulated a puff of dust and dirt, and a wedge on the ground.

RS Wander cracked his knuckles, and dug his pinkie into his ear.

"Really, if you don't hit me, I'm calling this whole shebang a waste of my effort-"

Wander like a bullet zoomed back, cut him off and hit him on the head, furious. The same result as before, the hammer squeaked again.

"Better. But not enough." RS Wander made a dank glare, to pity.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Wander!" Wander pleaded with him.

"Then.."

RS Wander's claws retracted..

"I'll hurt you." His eyes darkened with black and blue, lips twisted to a crescent smile.

Not going with physical attacks, he mentally charged Wander's entire body with pure, undignifying fear. He gave in, grabbed his head and screamed. The area was dark as night, ugly emotions swam in the air, trapping him.

 _"Hmm, so this is what happens when a Furnicle injects unbearable thoughts into another? Twisted."_

"Stop, please...JUST stop!" Wander grimaced.

"What ticks you off, Wander? What can I do? other than put tiny bits of fear to make you snap?"

Wander only growled viciously, he felt it clawing at him...from the pit of his chest, the beast he worked hard to suppress. He mentally fought against it, but it was a losing fight letting this tinge of fear overtake him, he couldn't fend off both at once.

"What you're doing is wrong! This isn't how helping someone goes!"

"What you're doing…."

RS Wander took his chin and stared into his eyes,

"Is just as wrong. Being soft will have you dead in a heartbeat. _Not_ everyone is your friend, and most aliens live by instinct. Its how the universe was made."

"No," Wander weakly pushed his hand aside, "The universe can be-"

"-Shattered, like I was."

RS Wander's body and face morphed, a green hat replaced his bandana, eyes fully black and tears going down his face,

A lone Mirror Wander stood in front of him.

"I am your fear."

"How...how did you do that?" Wander said, amazed yet horrified.

"Your teacher guy reached out to me while you were sleeping a few nights ago. He asked me to help in this."

Feeling brave enough, Wander stood up, perplexed.

"I don't understand, how are you still around?"

"Can't answer that right now, don't wanna." Mirror Wander slanted his posture, and now his eyes were readable and not dark.

"Wait, does this mean, you have pathokinesis, right?" Wander shook his hands.

"I guess so, I didn't know at first: Just like you." The reflector answered truthfully.

Wander sighed and rubbed his face,

"My current feeling is that…" He shook his head, "What am I saying, you know how I feel." Wander said tiredly.

"I'm going to put off the fact you're being a scaredy cat, and say that I can understand."

For the first time, his bitter side expressed empathy.

"But your teacher is right: you need to toughen up. This is no different when you were starving at the time and you nearly died; you fight and do what you can to help yourself."

"Help myself?"

Wander knew what that meant, but it was personally foreign to him. He always thought it was selfish and evil to help himself, he wanted to help others first, not the other way around. He was so accustomed to it, the thought of it felt like a sin.

Mirror Wander held up his fist tightly, little shards of glass shed from his fur and hand and they fell like diamonds.

"This time is crucial, wimp. You either fight back, or go down in history like all the other kinds that died before you…"

He came closer, to where he touched faces with Wander,

"Being scared like this will get you nowhere, you know how dangerous the universe is, and I'm not just talking about Dominator..there's me, too."

Wander's heart skipped a beat, his body stiffened by this demon's presence..

"You hate me, right? And I hate you. _I'm_ your worst enemy, someday I'll take what's mine, I'll erase you from memory eventually, replace you. I'll be the king of this galaxy.."

His lips curled into a sly smile, eyes glowing.

"You know how long I've waited for the day to prove I'm better? Since your birth. Instead of accepting that I was the part you needed to survive, you threw me away. Big mistake."

Wander shook again, the fear was back. He didn't want to admit or submit to this creature, but in the back of his mind, he finally agreed to some extent;

He was right.

"But not today. That time will come, right now we're both at stake. Before that happens, _get stronger_!"

...

Outside the mind scape, RS Wander anxiously, but silently stood and waited for Wander's next move.

He could only watch his student groan like a dying dog, he stood half-transformed, panting heavily and body bent forward. Wander could not feel what was happening, the injections of fear were still in his mind; now..he stood up straighter and opened his eyes. The mental torture ended.

It didn't surprise him to find his claws exposed, and his fake hammer in the other hand. Now he thought it over again, he was ready to take some form of seriousness, but wasn't sure how to approach it.

RS Wander held back the idea if he used any form of emotions to encourage him, it wouldn't be Wander's choice; he has to make the resolve himself….

"Now, are you ready?"

Looking dead into his eyes and frowning, Wander took his hat off and tossed it in the air. From it's perspective, it understood. Wander wanted to fully focus on what needed to be done. Wander tossed the toy weapon, it gave one last pathetic squeak when it touched the ground.

Cracking his fingers, stretching his legs and putting one back to help give the jumpstart-attack he went; and his eyes were firm and focused. Like a race car he ran head on to him.

Failure wasn't an option anymore. Holding back would get himself nowhere.

"That's more like it…" his teacher smiled, proud.

Wander struck at his head, but RS Wander counter blocked with his mace, but Wander repeated and tried to hit his abdomen, but to be blocked again. He tried over and over, only to be blocked. But eventually, both of their speeds started to synch and match each other's.

Until RS Wander started to do the offense: he tried to hit him with his fist, and managed to land blows, Wander struggled to counter-attack, still somewhat holding back, that was until he tossed his mace to the side and started to cast orbs of light and threw them at Wander.

"Oh grop." He lost his composure.

RS Wander aimed the lights for his legs and head, but Wander dodged; he couldn't figure out what kind of ability it was, they looked like ornaments you'd see on a christmas tree. Only lethal. Too lethal.  
After one failed to hit him it evaporated, but immediately further out in the land... there was an explosion so loud and powerful it shook their rib cages and into a deafening boom.

"What is that ability?! Could you tell me?" Wander stopped to catch his breath.

"You're asking now? It's really sour timing." RS Wander scoffed, but then sighed.

"They're just called "emissions" or "orb projections," if you focus enough, you can do them too."

"Pretty awesome." Wander smiled, pleased.

"If you want to attack other than with your hands, try bringing an emotion that can be summoned to defend." He instructed.

"Problem is…"

He went to pick up the mace and stretched his fingers,

"It can take a lot of energy, so I'd think twice about using it."

"Noted." Wander nodded, he looked at his hand,

 _An emotion as a weapon…._

"Pick one wisely, and make sure you keep your own emotions in check. I can't stress that enough,"

RS Wander watched him carefully, and prepped for any oncoming attack.

"..If you allow anger to control you, you transform unwillingly...; and it can be extremely problematic and dangerous."

"I can't let that happen, never again," Wander cringed and thought of the time he went ballistic fighting Dominator,

"I'll do it for her."

He instantly thought of Sylvia, her smile and warmth, with new determination to make her proud. With a new goal he picked one…

His hand vibrated to a new flow of energy, it emerged at the tips of his fingers.

"Attack." He whispered.

Small tiny orbs flew out like bullets, aiming for RS Wander, who didn't expect it. In a flash he vanished, the bullet like energy hit the ground making fluttering pops like firecrackers.

"Good start, that was some bullet projection!" He smiled, loving the improvement.

"I don't think...I can do anymore."

Wander fell over and instantly went to sleep, with a series of snores.

"Aw, we were just getting good," RS Wander groaned, he cleared his nasals and breathed in the fresh air surrounding him.

"But, you've done good today. We can break it for now." He stretched his tired arms and wrapped the mace behind his back.

"Looks like I'll have to carry you back to camp, what a pain."

* * *

An hour later, Wander was up and awake. He felt better, refreshed again. He walked out of the tent and pushed his back muscles inwards, stretching himself. The sun was beginning to set.

Wander was happy to see Nate and RS Wander relaxing around the pit of the firewood outside, his hat sitting next to Nate.

"Morning, sleepy head." Nate cheered.

"Hey." RS Wander made a weak wave but didn't look at him. He was busy digging his face into Nate's notes.

"All I've done is sleep. I tell ya, this training is exhausting." Wander made himself comfy in a pretzel.

The three of them didn't talk for the next 20 minutes, eventually making Nate give in to drowsiness. Wander thought about strumming his banjo, but just enoyed looking that the sky for the time being. Until his trainor spoke,

"Hey Wander." RS Wander looked at him, "Interesting fellow you have inside you."

"What do you mean?" Not sure what he meant at first, then he gasped,

"Ohhh...him."

Wander was embarrassed and scared, if he's seen his mirror version, did it mean his opinion of him changed? Trying to hide his blushing face, he wondered what Nate thought of it, but he was asleep. That relieved him.

"Glad I don't have to explain to Nate, he'd think it's strange."

"I doubt that. I don't think it's weird. I've seen much weirder." RS Wander assured him.

"How did you talk to him?" Wander put one hand on his chin, eager to know.

"I was about to go to sleep, when I felt another presence in the tent;" RS Wander described, remembering the little details,

"..It was you, yet….not you. Confusing, I know."

He set the notebook on the ground and firmly looked at him,

"He was so tense. Which isn't like you, so I woke him up and he talked to me. He sure didn't like me, of course. He explained who and what he was, so I asked if he could help in training you. It looked like it worked."

RS Wander smirked.

"It was strange to see you talking to me with a different attitude." He chuckled.

"I talked?" Wander pointed at himself.

"Technically, he did. You were out of it. It was temporary control, I guess."

Wander took in a loud inhale. Fear similar he experienced earlier crept on him.

If he can take brief control of my body when I'm not aware….that could be so dangerous!

RS Wander's smug grin cringed into disgust.

"Eww, what's that smell?"

He sniffed the air, and eventually looked at Wander…

"I wonder why I didn't catch it, you reek." He concluded.

"I do?"

Wander forgot about being scared and smelled his armpits...he nearly toppled over.

"Oh my...you're right. I better wash up."

"About that, how would you do it?" RS Wander raised his brows.

I'm sure me and ole hat can figure something out!" Wander saluted.

"Sounds great, if you do, let me take a turn in bathing?"

"No problem." Wander swiped his hat and walked away to a more private spot.

"I'll be right back!" He called.

"Hope he doesn't take long, it's almost dark."

After a few minutes he thought over the bits of training, personally he felt it went well. Wander displayed the typical half-transformation process and trying to control spurts of power, just like he did. RS Wander too, went through the same thing.

"He's on the road to success." He smiled happily.

An explosion just half a mile away from the camp shook him. A puff of dust erupted from there, RS Wander got a deep sinking feeling.

He grabbed his mace and ran to the designated spot. It was enough to wake Nate up, making him confused until he saw his father run off in the distance,

"Oh, what on earth is happening?"

Nate followed him.

RS Wander panted heavily, overseeing the dust he looked around for any signs of enemies waiting to attack. He gripped his handle tightly.

The dust cleared, something caught his attention; a medium sized crater was dug into the ground, with someone in it.

"Hello?" RS Wander called out gently.

He gasped;

Another like himself struggled to move and breathe...he crawled on his knees and raised his hand to him.

"Help me.. please."

Still keeping his weapon in place, RS Wander slid into the crater to help.

"Are you okay? How did you end up here?"

"I just fell. Nothing to worry about, I've jumped down onto planets many times."

Seeing his red-lustered eyes, it hit him...he looked so familiar…

"Here, I'll help you walk."

The two of them made it back to sanctuary, on the way they met up with Nate.

"What happened?! And who's this guy?"

"I don't know, but can he lay in your tent? He can barely stand." RS Wander explained.

"Uh, sure."

"I can't rest." Mono shook his head hard, refusing the offer.

"Huh?" Both said at once.

Mono's eyes glossed over, pleading with them.

"I need help..in finding my father."


	12. Chapter 12

"How's his vitals?" a distant voice mumbled,

"Stable...he's handling this experiment pretty well…"

"Inject higher dosage of Lestium peroxide, we'll see how long he lasts…"

The beeping sounds of a heart machine went on, going into a slow rhythm...

Mono was laying on a cold metal table, with leg and hand restraints tying him down. His red eyes were not as vibrant, more of a dark pink. He felt lethargic and helpless to do anything.

For the moment, it felt nice to not feel anything, and for months on end he felt nothing but painful and crippling anxiety from being locked up in a cell and switched to this pitiful laboratory. From there, they would constantly take his blood without any sedation, cut skin samples from every part of his body and plucked his brightly colored-now dull brown fur.

He stopped trying to plead with them; and soaked in what little time he was given to not feel anything, when they stopped their tests on him. He still held on to hope that someday, they would render him useless and let him die, or let him go.

He'd find his father, and find another home to live in. Their previous one he grew up in since birth was destroyed by the fighters of war, the war between those who feared the Furnicles.

His moment of bliss was cruelly interfered as someone stabbed a 6-inch needle into his chest cavity, to his heart.

 _"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!_

Mono's entire body pulsated, and convulsed, his fangs retracted and he growled like an angry wolf. The desire to die was momentarily transformed into blood-enclosed rage.

"Whew...he's mad." someone tensed.

"He's not going anywhere, we plugged off his regenerative ability and energy.."

After the pain left, Mono took in deep breaths, but held in the need to cry. Who would even listen? They didn't care. They saw him as a test subject, nothing more.

"'While we wait for the Lestium to kick into the system, let's see how he handles poisons."

"Please stop…"

* * *

He hadn't dreamed of that in eons, in fact when he did sleep it was all he dreamed of. To where he didn't bother sleeping.

Now awake, he found himself not on a table, but covered in soft blankets. New smells signaled his brain, not chemical scents. Seeing he was in a tent, the wind outside flapped and fluttered against it's thin material, he felt vulnerable.

He needed to stand so he left the tent; and saw two others sitting around a fire, keeping to themselves.

"Hello."

They looked at him, the other of himself jumped and quickly went to him,

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been worse. But thanks." Mono said with honesty.

"Come and join us; we have a lot to ask you." RS Wander put his arm on his shoulder and invited him over to the sparking fire.

After getting comfortable, Mono spoke,

"I mentioned I'm looking for my dad. It's been centuries since I've seen him, but I've been persistent in finding him. I have to."

"I don't blame you, if he's your only family left." RS Wander clicked his tongue.

"You do know there was a war, right?" Nate pointed out.

"Yes, and I lived through it."

Both Nate and RS Wander glanced at each other, wide-eyed.

"Then...how old are you?" RS Wander gaped.

Mono shrugged.

"Older than some of these galaxies, that's all I can put."

"It was thousands of years ago, yet the war only lasted about two years. Furnicles were wiped off the map." Nate said in a matter of factly tone.

Mono didn't like the way he spoke, he made a glare. RS Wander took notice; and it awakened a horrible and vague memory...

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak of my brethren that way. What you were told were nothing but rotten lies. You have no idea what we suffered through," He hissed through his prickly teeth.

Slowly and carefully, RS Wander looked over his face;

"Who are you? You look so familiar…"

"I'm BACK!"

All three reacted to the tone of a cheery voice.

A short nomad with a towel wrapped around his waist waved happily at them; Wander made a spring with every step he made.

"I figured out a showering system! Hey Wander, if you want to use it, you can!"

Less than 15 away from them he got closer, close enough to where Mono took one sniff of his scent…And couldn't hold it in. The most enticing thing he'd smelled in decades was right there for the taking..

"Ah! Hello, what's your name?" Wander invited him for a handshake, "Folks call me Wander!"

"He's not the nicest Furnicle, that's for sure." Nate muttered.

"Wander! _GET AWAY_ FROM HIM!" RS Wander shrieked.

"From him-?" Confused he glanced between Mono and his teacher, not understanding.

Mono laughed a low-pitched chuckle, keeping his head down, his whole body shook.

"Hahahahaha! HA!'"

His eyes flashed red, and he jumped on Wander.

"Wander, NO!" His teacher grabbed his mace to help.

The two Furnicles collided with another, rolling into a ball. Until Mono held him down, smiling with joy. Wander's spine sent a chill, he sort of didn't like the way he was looking at him. But let him say on top, he drooled.

"Another of my kind…"

Mono took in another sniff, this time his eyes rolled back.

"Well...I'm happy to see you, too!" Wander beamed at him.

"Huh?" Mono looked at him, confused.

"Sure, that was strange greeting, but I'll take it!" Wander shrugged his shoulders against the ground.

Mono wasn't sure what to say, he hadn't seen another Furnicle this friendly, he didn't know how to respond. It put off what he was going to do originally. Wander didn't seem to mind he was being tied down, either. Mono was too used to others running away from him.

"Oh yeah, you didn't tell me your name!" He was eager to know.

"It's..Mono."

"Mono?" Wander gasped, and clasped Mono's face, making his mouth and cheeks squished.

"Like, as in " _one_ "? It's so similar to my name! You gotta tell me how you got it!"

"I..I suppose." Mono timidly responded. "I just made the name myself."

"I need to stand, if you don't mind?" Wander just as timid, spoke in a small voice.

Mono dropped all intent of wanting to smell more of him so he allowed it. But, he couldn't help but stare. There was something odd and so fascinating with Wander.

"Shoot, I got dirt on me again," Wander raised each arm to pat off said dirt off his fur,"But, it happens."

"WANDER!"

RS Wander flew and kicked Mono to the side, sending him across the ground. He looked at Wander, panicked.

"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?!"

"Um, no..we-we were just-"

"Stay away from him!" RS Wander used his own body like a shield and made a glare, "Take one step closer and I won't hesitate to destroy you!"

Wander shrieked from his harshness, not understanding why he was so protective.

"Me? What did I do?!" Mono cried, tears broke out and he shook.

"I know your face anywhere..you've done terrible things." RS Wander spat as if it was truth.

"What was I to do? I was just trying to feed myself!" Mono defended.

But he smacked his mouth as if he was on trial and let the truth slip out. RS Wander took a step further, and held his mace at his chest.

"I know exactly what you did: it's unforgivable." He hissed.

Admitting defeat, Mono let his head bow, and he stood up, avoiding his eyes. But Wander was able to look at his closely… they held so much pain. Both flickered like red- fiery rubies.

"Your eyes are beautiful…" Wander said softly.

His teacher was too busy giving Mono the talk, while Mono glanced at Wander, his sad face lessened; he heard him. Hearing the complement eased him, for a tiny moment.

"Wander, he's done some things that are considered selfish, and beyond stupid."

Mono looked at both of them, clearly guilty.

RS Wander took in a breath, eyes wide and pointed dramatically:

"HE stole candy from children, made cupcakes with bland chocolate filling just to make a few quick bucks, and once built a park with mediocre play-equipment just to get attention, he's the worst of the worst!" He disclaimed.

Wander's jaw fell and nearly touched the ground.

Mono's face went flat and eyes turned into black dots. "Ehh?"

"You came to my house," He seethed, "You tried to make me join you, and make more schemes, it didn't work then. And it won't work now."

Nate had caught up with them moments ago, and heard everything up to his father's rant. He smacked his face, shaking his head. From what he remembered, Mono wasn't the sort to make crazy ideas and actually commit them. He finally remembered when he met him the first time.

"So, that's...all?" Wander finally spoke.

"He tried to get Nate join in the team too, but I kicked him out. I won't forget that." RS Wander added, and puffed his chest.

"It's true, I did all those things." Mono admitted, then chuckled.

"Doesn't mean I regret any of it." He smirked.

"Now hooold on," Wander placed his hands on both of their shoulders, "Just because he did some questionable things, doesn't mean he's all bad."

RS Wander only rolled his eyes. Nate went up to them,

"Why don't we all go talk this over in the tents?"

* * *

Morning arrived, Deena set up two chairs outside the cave, went into her car for a thicker jacket and went back inside. Sylvia was still asleep, but was soon to be up herself.

She wasn't sure if Sylvia was the type to be gently awoken, so she tried to wake her.

"Sylvia?" She poked at her back,

The Zbornak grumbled, but didn't open her eyes. Deena decided to let her sleep and wait until she got up herself. She went to brew some coffee and sighed. The cave was vacant and so quiet, it lacked two little nomads to fill its void.

"I miss them," She filled the small pot with leftover melted snow. She jumped when someone came up behind her,

"I do too."

Deena looked over to find Sylvia up and about. She yawned, making the walls echo.

"Glad to see you up, want some coffee?" Deena offered, shaking the coffee pot.

"Yes, please."

The two now sat outside covered in blankets, watching the clouds move at a steady pace. It looked like it was going to snow again. The planet was beautiful already with some of the ground covered in white, it sparkled in the sun like glitter.

"When do you think they'll come back?" Sylvia tapped her mug, and laid her head back.

"I wish I knew." Deena sighed.

That brought the question of when she could get back to the mission. It was time.

"Sylvia, I need to tell you the full story of my job and business with you."

"Eh? What do you mean? I thought it was to help me and Wander?"

"That yes, and it's something more."

Feeling fulfilled with her beverage, Sylvia placed her mug on the ground.

"I'm all ears, spill it."

Deena took a deep breath;

"I work for an undercover society; that was founded 1000 years ago...back then it was very small, almost non-functioning. But over time it began to find it's own footing and bigger over the years. The founders wanted to protect the galaxy from dangers and enemies potent enough they could destroy it within hours. Basically, anyone powerful enough who could wipe out this society without even trying."

Sylvia understood most of that without her eyes spinning.

"Alright….what does it have to do with me?"

Deena nodded sharply.

"I'll get to that, don't worry."

Sylvia bundled up herself with her blanket, continuing to listen.

.."The founders still kept track of Furnicles, even though they're nearly extinct. They keep track and records of enemies they see that pose a threat, but ones like Lord Hater…"

She stopped to chuckle,

"He may rise one day to be a deadly leader, but for now...he has yet to be that dangerous."

"Tell me about it." Sylvia rolled her eyes and laughed.

"One could say that right now, he's an amature." Deena said honestly, giggling with her.

She went on,

"The founders were very rich people, and a sub-species. They originated with humans."

Sylvia gasped. Her blanket fell half-way.

"Humans? But...they're supposed to be a myth…" Sylvia said in awe.

"That's what I believed when I was a little girl, but when I saw them with my own eyes...it wasn't a myth anymore."

Deena grinned and winked at her, "A species born of our kin, mixed with humans."

Sylvia had to look at the sky to sink it all in. She knew the universe was big, but never dreamed that humans lived among everyone.

"And I work for them. I didn't have much of a home growing up. Usually my species send away their kids once they're old enough, my mom and dad separated; and went off to have another litter of brothers and sisters I would never meet."

"They found me with no home, alone...and so they took me in."

Sylvia made a sad expression…

In a form or way, she related to that. Growing up with a rowdy family and a estranged mother who would dismiss her more than half of her childhood, and a father missing from her life.

"I feel ya there. It's a terrible feeling."

Deena grinned for second and went on…

"The founders gave birth to two children, both were little girls. They wanted them to join in a life-long mission to protect the universe. But both turned down the opportunity, and opened their own business.."

Deena glanced at Sylvia…

"Syl, you met one of them." She concluded.

"I what?" Sylvia shook her head, caught off guard. "I don't remember meeting them, what do they look like?"

"The two of them opened a museum on Mysterium, and has been existent for the last 1000 years…;"

She leaned forward,

"You encountered the youngest Slitkith sibling, Amie."

"WHAT!?"

Suddenly, Deena frowned.

"Syl, they're….they're dangerous." Deena warned, her voice intensified.

"Amie? But what about Cod?" Sylvia gestured her body, feeling the need to defend.

Were the two of them plotting something against the Galaxy? It was crazy! She yelled inside her head.

"This Cod I'm not told of, but she and her sister once committed treason against the organization-"

Sylvia was in shock, enough to get up and shake the agents shoulders,

"That can't be right! Her sister I barely know; may be evil or something, but that can't mean Amie is bad!" She defended.

Deena looked at her flatly, and tsked;

"She really has kept a lot from you, so many secrets that reveal her true nature."

"No! You can't just assume things like that! There is good in her! She helped the both of us escape-"

Deena put on finger on her muzzle,

"Escape the mirror from devouring your souls...I know plenty." She whispered.

Sylvia was speechless; Amie conspiring against Deena's bosses, and trying to destroy them.. It was unbelievable.

"She's not the only threat that needs to be put down; there's the mirror-"

A thunderous roar filled the brisk air, ahead the light was darkened by a unseeable mass until it revealed itself,

Lord Dominators ship was just mere miles from them.

"No!"

The two fearfully stood before the blood red and black ship, it's green eyes piercing as if judgement day had come for them.

"How did she find us!? We were hidden so well!"

Deena stood in front of Sylvia and used any means for protection.

"This is bad! We have warn everyone, and get to Wander!"

Without waiting another millisecond she went to the cave; Deena stayed, she didn't have the chance to tell Sylvia to get into her car, they had to leave before the queen found her prey.

"Sylvia! Come back! We have to get out of here!" Deena ordered, she knew time was ticking away.

Sylvia was too far to hear her, she dig through what little belongings and found what she needed:

The phone can.

She shook it hard to turn it on, and yelled Wander's name as loud as she could..

When she finished, Deena came to retrieve her and they both made it to the only transport they had, and seconds later they flew off before Dominator had the chance to spot them.

* * *

Hater was on his way to the planet, except there was one problem. He insisted they go before Peepers had the chance to fill up the ship's energy supply and gas. Because of this; they could only go half the speed than usual.  
Peepers was internally cursing at Hater for not letting him do this.

"This will take hours, if not days to get there, Hater." He sighed.

"I know, but it can't wait! Since we have a lead, we can go get them!"

"Funny how Icena is just a few hundred thousand miles away and we can't even cover 30,000." Peepers muttered under his breath.

"You say something?" Hater shot at him, eyes blaring.

"Nothing, sir."

Static transmission started to fill the room, the pilots heard it too, they tilted their eyes up to listen, Peepers and Hater looked around and strained their ears.

"That doesn't sound like our communication systems, what is that?" Hater paced the room, looking for its origin.

"Nice that you're acknowledging that we have such systems." Peepers said sarcastically, allowing everyone to hear him that time.

But Hater was too busy looking for the sound, until he saw the device Peepers held in his hands behind his back.

"C-peeps, it's coming from that." He pointed out.

"Huh?" He looked over the phone can they had been given to, he forgot they still had it.

"Gimme." Hater grabbed it from him and shook it, and sure enough he was right;

It was the source.

Then it stopped. The ship became graveyard-level silent.

"Guess that's it-"

Hater was cut off by a screeching microphone noise, making them go almost deaf, and then her voice came…

"WANDER! WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU, DOMINATOR IS ON THE PROWL FOR US!"

It scared the head pilot that he stomped the ship's gas pedals to a stop, making it feel like the ship was being attacked by bombs. Once it stopped everyone looked at their leaders, scared and deeply worried;

They could hear the fear and desperation in Sylvia's voice that they froze to listen. It was no different with Hater and Peepers, stunned by the sudden urge in her tone. Peepers shook and held his head, feeling scared for her. It was all visible to everyone, that they needed to do something.

Hater made a serious gesture and expression and stood up, he went to the pilot.

"Put the ship into full drive, we have get there as soon as we can!"

"But, but, there's not enough power to get to Icena!" The main pilot protested, he was ready to be shocked since he was refusing to obey.

But that didn't happen, instead Hater stood, calmly but in an intimidating manner,

"Please, we have to help them."

Peepers gasped.

"We can't let her reach them before we do, we have to take them ourselves. Forget Rockna for now, Wander's been through enough, and we need to give it our all to assist."

The pilot soaked in every word, his eye dilated. He wasn't going to be asked again and certainly not ask why they're helping their hated enemy.

"Yes, sir!" He turned around in his seat.

Peepers composed himself, despite questioning his leader's behavior and sudden change of heart, he ordered them all.

"Prep the back-up power! All supply systems to 100%!.. let's get there as quickly as possible!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

 **A/N The conclusion to the preludes begins now!**


	13. Chapter 13

Since Mono became a guest, RS Wander wasn't comfortable sleeping alone, so he shared the beds with Nate and Wander, despite how awkward it felt. But Wander was happy to have him around.

"Won't he be lonely? It's gonna be cold tonight and I hope he's okay." Wander said worriedly.

"Trust me he's fine, he gives me bad vibes."

They talked in low voices so they wouldn't wake up Nate. Who appeared to be sleeping; but he pretended to be asleep. He couldn't help but feel suspicious of Mono, so he listened.

"But he was nice to me, he didn't hurt me. Mono seems to know you well, were you friends with him?"

"No." RS Wander answered quickly, "And it's best you stay away from him."

Curiosity was getting to Wander as usual, his teacher rather not talk about it, since he felt Mono wasn't telling him anything else about himself and it made him feel paranoid.

"Tomorrow we'll continue with the training," RS Wander tiredly changed the subject,

"Emotion control is the next step, and we'll work on defense again as well."

Wander smiled with excitement, and clinched the blankets. "Sounds great, I'll try my best."

An idea struck him faster than any shooting star,

"Oh, it'd be awesome if Mono came to watch, I'm sure he'd like to join-"

RS Wander snapped.

"ENOUGH about him! He's not going, and he's not our friend!" He yelled harshly.

Wander's face glassed over, instantly hurt by his tone. Immediately regretting it, RS Wander broke with guilt and he sighed,

"I'm getting some air."

He stepped over the beds and shoved the tent's opening furiously. Wander didn't notice him leave, too stunned and hurt to see him gone. He tried his best to not sniff and cry, but he failed at it.

Hearing everything, Nate stirred and wrapped one arm on the little nomad for comfort. He pulled Wander closer and tighter, and turned over.

"It's okay. Don't be mad at him; he's really confused right now." Nate said softly.

Wander hugged back, needing to feel the contact to distract himself.

"I'm not mad. I'm just upset that he didn't call him our friend." Wander wiped his eyes.

"I know, but my dad has always trusted his instincts to tell himself if there's something dangerous out there, Mono might be one of them."

Wander gave him a puppy look, refusing to believe that.

"If there's something we can do to help Mono, I'm more than willing to do that."

Nate grinned at him appreciating his sense of kindness,

"For now, let's just trust him. He's doing the best he can."

"Grop!"

RS Wander kicked the ground, disappointed and angry at himself, wishing he didn't snap at Wander. He took deep breaths through his nose to calm himself down. He knew he looked childish in front of the others, but when he felt something was off, he became disturbed and restless.

"My brain keeps trying to tell me something, but I don't know what it could be."

The chilly air pricked his skin, except for his mid-center where the fur was thicker..That brought back times of when he went about alone, nothing to warm himself him up or a place to stay, before he met Sylvia.

He shook his head and blew his lips,

"Why am I thinking about that?"

"You're troubled, aren't you?"

He turned to see Mono calmly stand behind, his arms behind his back.

"I can feel it from the tent, is there something on your mind?"

It was almost near dark, yet, RS Wander could easily see his red eyes flickering, which just looking at them made him feel queasy. He hated those eyes and him staring.

"Yeah there is, it's called a brain." He sassed,

"Me and my brain say you're up to something."

Mono chuckled, "Stubborn, aren't ya? Just like in the day."

"And when was that, exactly?" RS Wander huffed, he folded his arms and slanted.

"Come on, you don't remember the good times?" Mono breathed in deeply, "The day I came to see you, met your kiddo...met Sylvia?"

A nerve hit RS Wander at the mention of her, he didn't like the way he said her name. It felt callous.

"Of course I do, why's that important?"

Still looking at the sky, Mono shot one eye at him with a sly grin,

"You tried to kill them."

Pain hit him in spurts, eyes shrunk to shock. His heart skipped several discharges of flow.

"What...what did you say?" He let fear slip into his voice.

Mono shrugged with his hands, "I'm just saying this, but you're not as strong as you think you are,"

He came closer, and walked towards his side, "You try to tell yourself everything's fine..,but it's not. You lie to yourself."

"What do you mean?" RS Wander raised his voice, agitated.

He kept calm despite he wanted to pummel him.

"You've lied to yourself for years, for 50 decades, and since you were born. It's so pitiful.. I've run out of sympathy."

That pricked deeper, but RS Wander still kept calm and still, he wasn't going to let him pinch his nerves. Mono slowly and took time with his steps and paced behind him, putting one hand on his shoulder, speaking in a low voice.

"You're weak. So weak in fact, I took down your mental-barrier, and instantly you transformed...you went after the ones you love; I broke you,... and look what happened…"

He whispered into his ear,

"Your son despised you all of his sad little life, you rescued him for nothing."

RS Wander's lip trembled, his arms still firmly in place, he began to shake,

"You raised a little brat to hate you, and he still hated you, even to this very day."

RS Wander's canines stuck out from his upper lip, becoming enlarged the more he became angrier,

.."What good are you if all you do is hurt them? I've never seen anything more pathetic.." He chuckled cruelly.

"S-stop."

For some reason he was frozen and couldn't move. A few seconds ago, he was able to move his feet freely, what was going on?

"I can help you."

Mono moved his hand and made a little skip, "I can put an end to your misery."

He slipped away and stood proudly with an evil grin..

"I actually don't need _your_ help in searching for my dad, just Wander's."

That was enough for RS Wander to make his claws appear and make a swift swipe at Mono, he had already dodged the attack before he processed the thought of doing it. Mono back-flipped and laughed,

"You have immense abilities, too bad it's wasted on you, a weakling."

"You can talk trash about me all you want, but what do you want from Wander!?"

Mono childishly faked a pose, "That's for me to know you never to find out!" he squeaked a high pitch tone.

"Quit the act; tell me what you're doing, now!" RS Wander demanded,

He regretted not only yelling at Wander, but leaving his mace back there. But it was alright for now, he was comfortable with combat. If it came to that.

"He'll help me, and the numerous fallen brothers in search of my father, nothing more." Mono clapped once, trying to make it come out as simple.

RS Wander immediately sensed a lie.

"I knew you were bad news, I don't care what if what you say is the truth, but I do know…"

He shifted to 4 feet taller, his eyes flashing neon blue,

"I'M NOT letting you get away with what you're doing!"

Not intimidated, Mono made a slow clap. And deadpanned expression.

"You know, I really liked you. Till "he" showed up; so you're useless to me now."

Mono's own claws revealed themselves, but he didn't try to shift,

"However, I won't let 50 years of planning go to waste." He smiled crazily.

"You're finished!" RS Wander shouted, and raised an arm to strike him out…

Mono raised his hand before his, a streak of light appeared at his palm, his own eyes became brighter.

"See you in hell."

* * *

The next morning was a bit rough. Wander sat up and yawned, Nate was still asleep, snoring softly. His eyes were puffier than usual because he spent an hour or more crying during the night. Wander patted the blankets next to himself..only to find it empty.

He looked over to see his friend not there.

Wander looked at the tents opening, seeing it was left unzipped. Curious as to why his teacher wasn't there, he poked his head outside, it was just as vacant. Wander stepped out and stretched his back, he decided to wait for RS Wander to come back while he watched the sunrise seep over the planet.

But after a few minutes, it was a bad idea...he became cold and went back inside the tent to warm up again. Nate was still in a slumber, and his snores became louder. Which didn't bother Wander much, being already used to Sylvia snoring occasionally.

He decided to go back out, and heard movement outside; getting his hat this time, he went out.

He saw Mono poking at the fire with a solemn expression. His eyes caught him.

"Ah, morning. How are you?"

"Good, how long have you been there?" Wander asks, sitting close to him.

"Just now woke up and got his baby started." He pointed to the fire.

"Um, do you know where the other me is?"

Wander turned his head in different directions, seeing if he could spot RS Wander.

Mono smirked...then shrugged and sighed,

"I don't know; I saw him last night before I fell asleep." He lied.

Wander looked at him, believing it.

"Oh."

"Probably went to cool off, I heard him shout at you all. I'm sorry." Mono kept poking the fire to get it to let oxygen feed it.

"You're right, and just needs some time alone. I understand." Wander nodded happily.

"But…" Mono grinned at him,

"This'll give me the chance to introduce myself right. It's nice to meet you, Wander."

He let out his hand for a shake. Wander didn't hesitate to return it, and then hugged him, which took Mono offhand.

"From now on, we're friends! Forever and ever."

Not knowing what this form of affection was, Mono became stiff and he frowned, annoyed. He pushed him off, not hard, but gave enough to a hint he didn't want a hug now.

"Let's take it nice and slow, alright?" Mono patted his shoulder, and stood up.

Disappointed that he didn't feel the same, but nonetheless, Wander accepted it. Mono walked around him and went back to his own tent.

"I'm going to get my jacket, and after that..want to walk down to the ravine?" He offered.

"Sure!"

Wander was happy for the invitation. Unaware of the things that were about to unravel in the future.

After Nate woke up, he was shocked to find the camp empty, no sign of life. But he didn't complain.

"At least I have time to myself."

But then he moaned, now he complained. If Wander had gone somewhere, it meant he took his hat with him.

Nate drooped his head, "No coffee."

...

Further out, Mono and Wander walked to the small area of forests, Wander gushed about the weather and the snow, aweing out loud at the smallest of things, which confused Mono, but let him do it. They picked a place to sit close by the riverside, water gently sloshed in its wake. The cloudy weather brought a gloominess to the mind, but still peaceful.

"Pretty."

It was an ordinary river, Mono didn't see anything special about it. But he thought, did he miss something Wander saw? He didn't know.

"Do you have a thing for water, or something?"

Wander whipped his head at him, "No, but rivers and waterfalls are awesome."

Mono still didn't get it, but let him to continue to gush over it. He looked at the trees, snow ladened their branches, birds made their morning calls, and a few stars sparkled in the sky.

"Do you think, people can see us?"

"Did someone follow us?" Wander held one hand on his forehead and squinted at the forest, "We should be the only ones here."

"Not that, fool. I mean, loved ones that died." He corrected.

Wander slowly sat up straighter, face flat. That sort of topic didn't come to him as often, so he listened.

"Do you think they're watching over us? Wish us the best?"

Mono gave the impression of whether he was angry, or soul-searching. It made Wander look up at the sky himself.

"I never had a family like you, but.." Wander's eyes reflected the stars,

"If my parents are out there, dead or alive...I think they're happy for me." He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Parents? We never had parents, we came from stars...or some nonsense." Mono scoffed.

Wander moved an inch closer.

"But you said you had a dad, so what if his dad came from a star?" Wander suggested excitedly.

"But stars die out, too. So we die." Mono input, making it sound like solid fact.

"Well that's no way to live." Wander tilted his head, "No matter what, someone is out there, watching you."

Mono was at a loss for words. Who was this man, he acted so confident! It made him sick to his stomach. Here he was, thousands of years of living history and nothing to show for it, same went for Mono himself.

"So much for our names, we're called Furnicles for a reason."

Mono let out some frustration, hitting four tree trunks, the raw emotion left burn marks.

"There's a reason? Could you tell me?" Wander clapped his hands, eager to know.

Mono sighed, "Take the word "chronicle", it means a series of events piled into another, or a record of events."

"Okay, I sort of get it."

"Earlier Furnicles gave themselves the term because they started out as hungry beasts, but instead of thirst for blood, they longed for knowledge. They studied the universe to become better members of society."

"Ohh! That makes sense." Wander liked it a lot.  
Then he gasped, he made Mono startled,

"Wait! Does that mean...the "fur" part comes from them having orange fur?"

"Uh…." Mono didn't know how to answer at first, then realized; .. then became irritated and pointed one clawed finger at him,

"If you say they chose it as a pun, I will-"

"SO IT IS a pun!"

Wander lost it and started to laugh, he rolled over to the side. Mono's eye twitched and he growled.

"Do you want me to do you the favor of destroying you?"

"Come on! Admit they had some sense of humor." He giggled like an idiot.

"I don't know what humor is, I'm not laughing." Mono bit his lips and crossed his arms.

Wander comically slided to his side, grinning madly. He poked his cheek;

"Aw, is someone mad? Don't be, and no one is ever really alone, whether if you're a Furnicle or not."

Mono softened from his statement, ignoring that his personal space was intruded and poked on the face.

"Believe what you want then."

"Do you remember what your friends were like, Mono? I wish I could meet them."

Mono's eyes glanced over the river and became dead, he saw the familiar shapes of eyes that watched them; they floated in the shadows..twitching and smelling their presence…

" **Friends**.. _dead_."

" _Smells_ **nice**."

" _Friends_ **mean** **nothing** _to_ _us_."

Mono cleared his throat and blinked, they vanished.

"They passed long ago." He answered simply.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Wander said sadly.

"Am I really alone or not? That's the question."

"What did you say? I didn't hear it." Wander put a hand behind his ear.

"You're imagining things." Mono uttered flatly.

They sat in silence without another word. The sun above began to warm the air, making them feel less cold and more relaxed. Wander had dozed off at that time, breathing in the fresh air, his hat pulled over his face. Mono became curious and lifted the front flap, wondering if it was an act; but he was asleep.

"I need to tell him."

He touched Wander's shoulder and shook him.

"Wake up, it's important."

Wander snorted and flashed his eyes open. "Yeah?"

"Wander, I need your help. I know I said before..but time is running out," Mono raised his voice to indicate how serious he felt.

"Yeah? I'll help with anything."

"Wander," Mono pierced his eyes into his, "Lord Dominator killed my father."

Wander gaped, stunned.

"Years ago, me and him were minding our own business, when she came; she took everything we ever knew and loved, I was young, my mother had long abandoned me...called me a monster, and a disgusting pig. My father was all I had left.."

Judging by what he said, Wander easily believed him. Inside, Mono was celebrating, the plan was going smoothly.

"I have no place to go, Dominator found me and tried to kill me before I found you, she failed to follow after me and father escape from her wrath."

"That's terrible!" Wander cried. He pulled Mono closer to himself.

"What can I do to help you?" His beady eyes begged him.

"Please, let me stay with you," Mono faked being scared, "Until I can find him."

"It's no problem."

Too tired to give him a full embrace, Wander wrapped in arm around Mono, despite the kind gesture, he went stiff. He wasn't used to tight contact. He started to detest it. But as long as Wander didn't suspect his true motive, he dealt with it for now.


	14. Chapter 14

"Wander! Please stop! If you fight anymore you'll bleed to death!"

"Mmm."

Mono had a peek into Wander's mind; he felt himself standing and dripping with blood, barely able to breathe, meaning he also felt immense pain in his chest, the cause of it being shards of glass and crystal sticking out from his back and flesh.

Wander did not recognize his only best friend, instead he struck at her and she slid to the wall further in the background.

Mono sighed, "Those who care the most, will suffer the most."

 _Just like I cared._

* * *

900 years ago.

"I'm tired of being hungry, dad."

Mono, centuries of years younger laid on the ground all arms and legs stretched apart, he bit the inside of his cheek. Eyes filled with annoyance. He'd been waiting for food for 6 hours and he hadn't eaten in two days.

"Well, guess I'll just do it again." He muttered.

He rested next to an abandoned car repair shop, the place was rusted and falling apart; along with gas machines, they too were broken and old.

Sometimes, he resorted to self-destructive things to distract himself, but he didn't care how it appeared to others, seeing that most of his own species was nearly non-existent at this point and time. He only knew two other Furnicles in his life: his mother and father. Even they were absent most of the time, making him feel like the last one in the galaxy.

Mono retracted a claw on his index finger, then cut his left forearm...blood seeped from the wound like running paint; he sucked in his lips for a moment then drunk it. He pretended to feel like a vampire, making it seem less strange to himself.

He started to feel dizzy; that was the hint he was full. His stomach quit growling for the time being. His body signaled to his brain to close the wound and regenerative fluid stopped the flow and his skin stitched itself back together.

"Hope that'll shut me up for awhile."

He went back to feeling bored and chew his cheeks again. His brain eventually forced him to look at his surroundings, to see any sign of his father.

"We're stuck on this lame, dry planet of a desert, even the cactus gave up living." He muttered.

He rather appreciated being alone, since every other alien he'd come across would immediately run away from him in fear and would shout "monster!" before he could have the chance to greet himself properly.

 _I remember that one accident, I broke both of my legs..that time there were more people around, they went to help...but they witnessed me healing up and they ran away, screaming._

Two Monos stood next to each other, the younger one still pouting on the ground, the present slouching against a busted machine glaring at him with disgust and pity.

"No matter how many times I replay this in my memory, I always look for hints I missed; why it had to be that day, when my life was not the same or and better than it was then: why they took dad away….and me."

A dust storm brewed up in the land, heading his way. But ignored it. Just like he was always ignored by society.

"What was the point of my existence? tell me fool." Mono muttered to the younger one, even though he couldn't hear him.

He looked around the deserted station and looked for the hints that always showed up at this point in the replay...they would be coming anytime now. He saw an old soda can roll on the dirt..

His heart plummeted to dread. Whenever the empty can rolled by, they were here.

Young Mono sat up, the boredom at this point was getting to him,

He didn't hear or smell two figures in thick black suits sneak up from behind him with a bat…until it was too late.

"What-?"

One of them hit him clear across the face, knocking him out.

Mono rubbed his eyes, a headache was forming on his temple and he sighed,

"Nothing new that time."

He skipped to where he was transported to an unknown facility. Roped and tied up, he had no idea where he was or where he was being taken to.

Passing to a week later; Mono was stuffed inside a cell without any food or water, but luckily he hadn't given out.. yet. He was glad to be given a rickety bed at least, even though it was uncomfortable at times.

To pass the time he played around with his pathokinesis; he created different shapes of light from his hand, he tried making some of happy shapes, but they didn't align his mood, they instantly faded. He became bored again fast; and flicked out manifesting shapes of frustration at the concrete walls, leaving scratches.

He fell asleep.

* * *

The next thing he discovered was he was tied to a lab table, cold and made of stainless steel.

Mono instantly fretted and tried to get down, but was tied with restraints.

"What's happening?" He raised his voice in alarm, he pulled hard and tried to break them off.

"The sedative wore off, give him another one."

Mono heard the clinking of high-heeled shoes, a short but slender person came bearing a syringe. And a white lab coat. He glared with detest at the female Furnicle who nodded a blank expression at him and put the needle not onto his arm,

But the center of his forehead.

He immediately fell into a dark pit again.

It became a routine: Everyday from morning till dusk Mono was subjected to tedious and painful tests. What was more awe-striking was the fact his own species were the ones experimenting on him.

As the months went by, they became crueler and more gruesome. To the point they fed him rotting meat of past test subjects, the the ones who became failed experiments.

"You want food? Then eat it, pig." They would tell him.

Of course Mono resisted, but seeing as how he hadn't eaten properly in weeks. First the smell of blood and rotting organs were hard to went with it. Not without almost vomiting it back up of course. Eventually his body adjusted to it. They even helped him eat it, was that part of the tests, he wondered.

Mono adjusted to its taste, that part he didn't mind as much; as long as he had food to distract him from the hellhole he was forced to be imprisoned in.

Mono's eyes were steadily losing its natural color, they were once a dark green, much fuller of morality then. He'd look at himself through a broken mirror in his room, becoming decrepit with each month.

Then came along the trails of the Lestium tests: one of the most brutal they ever conjured upon him.

Mono (older) watched them again and again, bringing about 50 syringes a day, sometimes more with different toxic chemicals and Lestium dosages. Only once or twice, he counted they only ever gave him Altium as a test; but didn't like the results it brought compared to what the affects the Lestium made. It still infuriated him to this moment, despite how that this wretched lab no longer existed; he became their symbol; the result of what evil can do to a person, he was living breathing proof of the monstrosity he became.

* * *

4 months later…

Mono was nearly at his breaking point, he wanted out. He was sent to his cell bleeding from cuts, wounds he inflicted on himself from anger, and patches of fur missing. His eye color was almost brown, no longer the forest green they once held.

"I can...hear them, in the other cells, calling out…." he repeated delusionally.

"I hope I'm dreaming, I hope I'm dreaming, maybe it's all just an act.."

He tried to not remind himself of the daily torture, so instead he mumbled to himself until he could at least finally fall asleep. Even sleep was rare. It was a blessing. It numbed everything and would fall into a dreamless slumber.

"Mono. MoNo, MONo. Can you hear us, Mono..?"

For a night or two, he thought he was hearing things. Voices. What gave away the clue was when he realized his captors couldn't hear them when experiments were finished for the day and they locked him up for the night. They'd begin to chatter as soon as they left.

Then he saw them.

"Mono. MoNo, MONo"

The countless numbers of souls he consumed;

"You're not alone."

"You need us."

"Come here."

"Eat more."

"NO!"

Scared out of his mind, he had enough. Shifting to 3 feet taller he banged on his cell doors, a 6 inch-thick steel one with only one window in it's center.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE, I'LL KILL YOU I SWEAR TO FLARF!" He screamed and screamed.

Other victims like himself could hear his cries, they would either ignore it, or cry for him, wishing they could escape and bring comfort. They were just as helpless to do anything.

Mono banged the door over and over, for hours on end eventually bruising his hands...he stopped to catch his breath. He couldn't fathom how and why he hadn't died and rotted away by now. That was more merciful than being stuck here.

It wasn't just the cell he feared..he feared the ones inside with him. The facility turned off it's power for the night, he was in the dark, alone. Whether if he was asleep or awake, they violated his mind, demanding things to be done, or break out, or find others to eat.

They appeared, every night a few dozen pairs of eyes rolled and twitched, they gazed on him...they beckoned to him, wanting him.

"No, no no! LEAVE me alone!" Mono quivered next to the door, covering his ears to block their voices.

"But you're scared." - a female voice,

"We can help you." - another female voice,

"Come here, please?" a male voice called to him.

He heard the tone of longing and pity in those three single voices, momentarily pushing aside his fear of them.

"W-what do you want from me?" Mono slowly lowered his hands, still trembling.

"You. And more Furnicles of us." They all answered at once, making the room vibrate with intensity.

Looking into their eyes, they were sad. Some contained cheerful glints of hope in them; while some were calm.

"I'm listening, now."

* * *

After several nights of seeing and hearing them.. and they meant no harm, Mono eventually let them in. For the first time in weeks, he felt less alone. On the 35th night of communication, he was calmer than ever before. He didn't care what those evil scientists did to him, as long as he came back to talk to his only leftover companions.

There was only one problem

As talkative as they were, some weren't very intelligent. They only responded in short answers, limited in verbal commands.

"On a scientific point of view, as much as I hate thinking that way, you don't have your original bodies to live in, hence no brain." He suggested.

"Confusing."

"You're weird, Mono."

"Idioooot."

Mono rolled his eyes, "Makes sense to me."

The scientists took notice of his ramblings eventually, but didn't think much of it. When one of them dropped him off to his cell and closed the door, seconds later Mono talked to himself. There was no one in there with him, they couldn't see the souls they killed with their own hands dwelling with him.

"Freak." They brushed it off.

"Do you even have names?" Mono asked out-loud.

"Idioooot."

The same one from moments before mocked him, thinking it was funny.

"Nice name, it suits you perfectly." He laughed.

"Ren."

"Fova."

"Lina."

"Idiot." That one blew his tongue at him.

Some talked all at once, making blended voices.

"Okay, I get it."

He grew tired of talking so he went to sleep...

* * *

His cell door loudly opened and hit the wall, jumping Mono awake. He smacked his lips and mouth, tasting his own morning breath.

"You know the drill; get your butt up and put your cuffs on!"

Lighting from the hallways outside blinded him, his experimenters faces were hidden. He got up and lifted his arms, instantly metal cuffs took them in its possession.

One voice called to him,

"Be strong, Mono."

It sounded like a young kid.

Mono's lower lip trembled, what on earth were these monsters doing to everyone? Had they run out of morality and went as far as torturing a child to gain their goals? It was maddening. Following behind two Furnicles in lab coats, they guided him like a leashed dog, without saying a word.

His captors made him march to the main laboratory;...or so he thought. They entered a new section he wasn't familiar with, it was less cream-colored and more sterile, making the one lab he was always cooped up inside look like a dirty jail in comparison. Two over sized doors stood before the, they automatically opened and went through. Mono eyed the table in the center, huge overhead lights focused on it and metal arms latched onto large needles and syringes.

It made him extremely nervous. It was different than what he was used to. But same routine followed, they tied him down to the table, and he waited for the pain.

The lights went out. Mono held his breath, for sure thinking today he would die from extreme pain.

But he was wrong; a large window at the upper part of the room lit up inside, three humanoid aliens stood in it, with careful observation, they were women.

An adult woman stood at the front, the other two were young girls. They certainly didn't look happy to be there. They looked identical, but their hair and eyes were different.

"Experiment 1,010,92, or just "101092" I should call, you've been chosen for a special new test today, seeing how you've been handling the levels of Lestium rather well." The woman declared proudly.

Her face was hidden behind a mask shaped like a broken triangle, and two almond shaped openings for eyes, , but the two children behind her did not have one. The woman wore a white dress, fancy for such an occasion. Even her hair was white.

"Fantastic," Mono snorted sarcastically, "Do I get a medal?"

"Very clever." The woman replied flatly.

She snapped her fingers,

"No rewards, we want results. And we will get them."

He didn't see it, another of his kind appeared out of nowhere, with the largest cleaver Mono ever saw, and severed his right arm.

 ** _AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHGGGGGGGGGH!_**

Throughout the entire facility only blood-curdling screams filled its walls and rooms.

The woman in the window calmly stood, with a blank and cold stare. She glanced over to the two children, wondering about their reactions.

The girl with long black hair was disinterested, she slouched in her seat and yawned, Mono's screams didn't bother her,

However, the other covered her ears. Short blonde hair, and held back crying; it was obvious she was disturbed by the experiment down below.

"Pay attention, he'll start to heal up in a moment."

"Mommy, I don't want to watch anymore." The girl pleaded.

"Silence." She hissed to her.

Blood dripped from the table onto the floor, creating a trail that trickled further into the room. Mono bit his lips and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to create any form of relieving pressure to dull the pain.

Just like the woman said, bone began to regrow from the severed joint and muscles, blood spurted from his veins and eventually a bare arm was back in place, only thing missing was fur.

Mono accidentally let one tear fall, he looked at the masked woman, wishing he could get his hands on her and twist her neck; the black haired one, too.

The other….

Both the child and his eyes met for the first time…

Mono's weariness and painful soul seeped into hers, his reflection was visible if one looked at her smoky lavender orbs, innocence was robbed the moment she had seen him.

Seeing how unfair and cruel this show was, she left her seat despite her mother's orders.

"Don't think there won't be punishment if you leave, youngest daughter." She warned.

Despite it, she left the observation room. She hoped in time she could visit the poor creature being inhumanely experimented on from the lab below. She reminded herself there'd be risks involved if she disobeyed her mother's rules.

After calming down, Mono held back the extreme need to cry, he didn't want to show how weak he was to the enemy.

"You're doing rather well, Furnicle. I think it's time for the next phase."

The older daughter leaned forward now invested her attention down below, smirking at Mono.

"Do we get to see his brain ripped out?" She asked.

Mono imagined the worse: what else could this demoness and her henchmen conjure up next?

...It started with the unlocking of the laboratory doors he came from, someone with another table with wheels came in pushing it, with a lifeless body on it.

Mono tiredly stared at it, the table being set a few feet away on the left side. His eyes widened in horror…

"Dad?..."

The small corpse of a once Furnicle lay there, his arm hanging over the edge, hand looking as if to grasp for something in his last attempt to cling onto life. His hair was longer; going past his shoulders, but it was in a tangled mess.

"Dad?" Mono called again, but no response from him.

The woman grinned.

"You see, he was all I needed to get the results I wanted today. You witnessing what was once left of your pathetic father."

Mono only heard half her words, to him they were like being underwater, too stunned by what he saw.

The more he stared, the more his heart beat faster and faster, the more his sanity and rage began to unfold:

Mono's tired brown eyes contracted to blood-red slits.

 **"YOU'LL PAY."**

The room began to shake, and slowly it shook harder, growling came from Mono, he let whatever power he had left inside him build, take over and break his ties to the table..a flash of light engulfed him;

He broke free, now 12 feet taller than normal, fangs and claws abnormally sharp.. ready to tear into who ever dared to inject another syringe or experiment on him again.

The mother and daughter had left to avoid being chased after, now an empty room was in a standstill. Mono looked up, whether if anyone was in there or not, it didn't stop him from jumping up, crashing into the window to break through and wreak havoc on the woman who allowed him to suffer.

"Where **are you, you mon** sters?!"

Seeing a door he smashed it open, he followed down the hallway, cracking his fingers; the made eerie crackling noises.

After no sign of them, he decided to go back for his father.

Mono cautiously leaned close to him, he picked him up and embraced his body. He de-shrunk to 5 feet less than before. He cried in silence.

"I couldn't save you. I'm sorry."

The room was black from a power outage due to his anger strike, only the light from the observation room was still working.

Several eyes appeared in the darkness.

"I'm sorry you're sad, Mono."

"They're so evil,"

"Escape now?"

Despite the grief, he wondered why no one had come to kill him much less put him back into the cell. But it didn't matter; for now he was free, free to inflict his desire for revenge.

"Revenge...sounds delicious right now." He smiled evilly.

His face softened at his father's cold face;

"Join me, dad."

He sunk his fangs into his father's chest, and within half an hour, there was nothing left of him.

"Be with the others, so you're not alone, we're not alone anymore…" He wiped his face off from blood,

"To be one, we will find more, my name.. is Mono."

He wasn't given his own name since birth, it was music to his ears, it had deep ring to it.

"Let's eat."

Mono took his time, going through the building and wings searching for any of the wretched scientists he once considered his brothers; now that he was seen they ran, horrified, and alerted the security systems.

" **That's right, run. Run in fear,** feel and see what I've been through." He cackled.

Eventually, he found the cells and his former prison where other Furnicles were kept.

When they saw him, they were either nervous, or fascinated. He sent his emotions through them like a storm, they became hypnotized.

"Let's escape, I can give you protection, and give back your dignity."

But it wasn't the sort of freedom they had in mind, they were not not leaving here alive.

"Halt! We have you surrounded!" A female Furnicle shouted.

Who happened to be the one who injected a shot into his skull months before. He never forgot it.

Mono turned around, growling. A huge group of scientists held weapons that could easily kill one in seconds, but wasn't scared in the slightest. He was done being scared of them.

" **Really sister,** is this all you have **to stop me? Why not join me,** and be free of this rotten place?"

Everyone of them backed away, not because of his height or his intimidation, his voice held two different octaves…,his own, and a female pitch that was behind it.

"For the greater good of the race, Lady Arelynn wants you to cooperate, our survival depends on you." One bravely stepped closer.

Mono snorted. He began to laugh maniacally.

"HAHAHAA! Are you joking me?" He sneered at them.

Mono took one bloody step closer, enjoying the expressions on their faces,

"Tell me, **how does killing our race hav** e anything to do with saving it? **You've all doomed** yourselves."

Panicked, some made a break for it, others stayed. The prisoners behind him cheered him on.

-"Let's get out of here!" -"I'm not staying for this!" -"Run!"

"Enough!" Mono shouted.

Bone creaking sounds filled the air, blood by the gallons flew in the air and hit the walls, everyone of their bodies were shredded to pieces.

"All of you are coming with me, we leave here now. My new goal is build an army."

From the walls to the ceiling blood dripped every inch, making his eyes stand out with the crimson pools and streaks everywhere. It wasn't long before he began to devour all of them, the voices inside were happy to have new companions living with them, the voices of those he saw minutes ago had conjoined with the others.

"I won't let anyone stop me."

"-CHUNK-" "-RIP-"

While he ate, the child with the short blonde hair peeked out of the doors into the cells, nervously watching. It was easy for Mono to hear her, he stopped to look.

She gasped, and hid behind the door, then peered over again, their eyes met.

He was mixed with feelings about her; the more he stared, the more he could see she was curious, and didn't come here to hurt him.

"Little one, it's best you leave, or else I'll come after you." He warned gently.

"If that's true, you would've done it sooner." She replied timidly.

Mono squinted his at her, and wiped his mouth, he stopped eating to get closer. This time not as brave, she shook as he came near, he realized his appearance was terrifying, he shifted to her height, 3 and a half feet. She clasped her hands together nervously. Upon seeing her she had on a gray dress with stockings and dress shoes, her ears pointy. She too had small tiny fangs herself.

"Are...you in pain?" She sucked her lips inwards.

"You're scared of me. I can feel it." He hissed joyously.

"Take her, take her, take her drink her blood…"

Everyone inside begged him, all of their commands became gibberish. Her fear was so enticing, he wanted to take her heart out so badly! He wasn't sure if she could bond with the ones inside him, but he was curious to find out-

"I'm sorry mommy hurt you."

His eyes turned into lesser red by her words, not understanding at first. Then he saw the look of sorrow in her orbs, his interest in her diminished.

"Why are you apologizing? Especially now, after everything they put me through." He replied flatly.

She didn't know what else to say, so she bowed down and hugged him. Bringing each other to the floor on their legs.

"I'm sorry." She said sweetly.

"What're you doing?" Mono was off-put by her behavior.

She let go quickly. She didn't mind a few blood stains on her dress.

"You'd better go, my big sis and mommy might come after you."

"Don't need to tell me twice." He grunted.

His interest in her was long gone, so he walked away to the entrance. He didn't feel good enough for pity.

"Be careful, Mono." She called, still sitting on her legs.

"Careful isn't one of my strongest points." He waved to her without looking back.

All that was left was the bloody prison and a lone little Amie left to see the chaos, never seeing the universe the same ever again.

* * *

"It's over."

Mono relaxed against a tree, Wander was by the riverside watching the clouds hover over the hills.

"My nightmare ends with you, and my paradise begins with you."

Mono came close to Wander and tapped his shoulder.

"Let's go back, I bet they're waiting."

"Yeah! I was getting to thinkin that, too." He smiled brightly at him.

Both started to head back.


	15. Chapter 15

When both of them arrived, Wander was happy to see Nate, who was actually low-key grumpy because he didn't have his daily cup of caffeine to perk himself up.

"Hi, Nate! You shoulda came with us, the view out there is amazing!" He waved at him.

Despite his sour mood, he smiled anyway.

"I bet it was; but I'm not too good with walking."

Nate gave Mono a dark look, which he took notice of, but he ignored him.

 _I have to get rid of him, somehow._ He thought, he scowled at himself for holding back because of the conversation and spending time with Wander earlier.

The time to act was soon.

"Have you seen dad, Wander?" Nate softened as he looked at him, "I haven't seen him yet."

"Huh? I thought he'd be back by now?" Wander shrugged.

"Probably still mad." Nate input.

"You have no idea," Mono chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Nate frowned.

"Nothing, it's nothing." He almost couldn't keep himself from laughing.

Wander wrapped his arm around Mono, "He'll be back soon, he may even planning a surprise."

"Hopefully not. I despise surprises." Mono made a disgusted face.

"Aw, don't be like that! Sometimes the best kind of surprises can be life-changing." Wander elbowed him on his shoulder.

"Are you sure about that?" Mono gave him a dry look.

Nate kept watch of Mono, looking at his face, body posture, and voice. Something was not right with any part of what he was looking at.. Mono was giving him warning signals and it made his nerves tense up.

"Say, Nate?" Mono said.

"Oh," Nate straightened his composure. "Yes?"

"Could you give us a moment? I need to talk to Wander."

"Oh, this is nice." Wander said happily.

Immediately sensing it, he stayed calm.. and played dumb.

"Sure, I'll be back."

Nate left and entered one of the tents, but if something were to happen he wasn't far behind. He listened carefully. He peeked through the opening,

Once he left..Mono had a mischievous grin on his face, it made Nate uneasy. Mono tapped his fingers, anxious for something.

"Do you think we should go look for Wander? I hope he's okay." Wander tapped his chin looking out at the land with his back turned.

"Forget about him, he's meaningless to me, now it's just us." He said happily.

It wasn't the warm kind of happiness; it was a devious kind. Mono's teeth formed to sharper length and eyes brighter.

"Wander, could you..?" Mono paused, suddenly nervous.

Wander turned and clasped his hands together, "Yes? What is it?"

"Oi vey, now that we're alone, and I can't spit out what I was going to say.." He said timidly.

Nate's fear lessened, now Mono seemed to be genuine and really wants a normal conversation..

"I'm listening." Wander said excitedly,

"First, turn around." Mono asked nicely, he hid one hand behind his back, exposing his claws.

"Oh, no!" Nate held his breath.

"Okay!"

Wander did as he was told, Nate dared not to take his eyes off of him...and he was right not to.

The moment Wander's guard was down, Mono's outer appearance shifted to that of a killer; he raised his arm, claws exposed…He was going to take his life!

Nate immediately reacted, and was about to stop him, when…

"WANDER!"

Both Mono and Wander froze, hearing a voice calling from the sky, Nate as well. He came out of hiding.

"Sylvia..?" Wander slowly smiled.

"Wander!"

A black vehicle appeared and was coming in their direction, Sylvia's upper body holding on and sitting outside the passenger's seat-window. Deena parked several feet from the ground, Sylvia jumped out and ran to them.

"Sylvia!"

 _Who are these fools?_ Mono grunted angrily.

Wander ran to her, and gave her a big hug.

He looked at her with bubbly eyes; "What are you doing here-"

"We can't talk now! Dominator is right on our tails!" Sylvia shook him.

"She's what?!" He said, alarmed.

Despite being annoyed, Mono was surprised to see Sylvia, as he hadn't in years. But different. Nate shoved him, actually knocking him off his feet, glaring at him.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to, you slime." Nate growled at him.

Mono glared back at him. Nate made it to the other two,

"What do we do? Run away?" Nate asked, unsure of what the plan was.

Deena joined in,

"What else? We have no chance against her; we have to flee."

"No, we fight."

Seeing none of them had answered, they all turned to look at Mono. He patted his legs off and stood,

"Dominator may be strong, but I have some revenge I want to clear up with her, she killed my father."

"And who are you, exactly?" Deena stepped forward.

Sylvia gasped, seeing him.

"You're.. a Furnicle!" She pointed.

"Yeah! We just met recently, and he needs my help." Wander patted her hair.

"Him?" She looked at him, confused of the situation.

"Introductions can wait, she's coming." Mono peered over the horizon.

Everyone gasped and turned around;

The black and red ship was just miles from view. On the ship, Dominator was fueled by enthusiasm and taste for revenge.

"Hahahaha! Look at all their faces, they're horrified!" She shouted happily.

"Stand back," Mono walked to the front, "I'm going to help in this."

Nate was still suspicious but put it aside, right now they had a bigger problem on their hands.

"I'm curious, what abilities do you posses?" Deena stood next to him, interested.

Without looking at her, he side smiled, "I have many tricks up my sleeves, just you wait."

Deena nodded, accepting his assistance. "I'll just use whatever I can to help."

"Wander, stay close to me." Sylvia tossed Wander on her back, then looked at Nate,

"You'd better get on, too." She advised.

Still keeping an eye on Mono, Nate listened to her and sat on her saddle, Wander held onto his shoulders. Not wanting to lose his hat again, he tugged on its flap. Letting it know he'll needit's help eventually.

"As for me.."

Deena went into her car, turned it on and ordered,

"Activate defense mode."

" _Confirmed_." A computer's smooth voice answered.

"I'm fighting back as well."

Her car removed the seats into it's inner cavity, the driver's seat into the center, and handles and control sticks were replaced from the dashboard. A now fully mini combat ship was ready.

"If I survive this, I'm so making it a priority to get Dominator on the threat list."

Deena pulled the car into drive and headed to Dominator's ship.

Zooming into the front deck windows, Dominator rubbed her hands together eager to get to Wander.

"Bots, move out! Obliterate these idiots!" She ordered furiously, shifting her excited energy.

 **"Yes, Dominator!"**

Over 20 of 8ft robots made their way out and fell to the ground. They stomped, and trampled up snow, making glittery mist with every step. Dominator decided to stay and watch her minions do all the dirty work for her. She always loved to watch first.

"Here they come!" Sylvia ran towards impending danger, no desire to stop.

Wander enjoyed the ride, whilst Nate held on tightly, not liking the speed.

"Can you slow down?! We're gonna hit them!" He yelled.

That only made her go faster, and within just several feet of a bot, she jumped up, and kicked it off its feet.

"Yaaaaw!" She let out a battle cry.

"EEEEE!" Nate shrunk and cringed from the speed, it was like riding a roller coaster, he hated those.

Sylvia knocked down 5 more, at this point making Nate dizzy and unable to keep up with what was happening and who she was kicking at.

Deena readied her weaponry, and shot hundreds of bullets and lasers at Dominator's ship, which proved ineffective because the ship repaired its outer body quickly. She tried again, but the same result stood. Her car wasn't a battle ship and she was limited in options and going fast.

"Alright, that's how it's gonna be." She hissed determinedly.

She knew what to use next, it wouldn't destroy the ship entirely, but slow her down. Studying the outer surface she took a guess what it's fuel was; she hadn't asked anyone, but Volcanium X. Deena forgot to defend her car so Dominator hit her with a series of lasers, and making her go out of range. She needed to act fast. Patience was needed to toss the substance she was going to use against her...

Dominator had steered her attention to Sylvia, Nate and Wander, allowing her an opening. She fired more lasers and started to chase them down, Sylvia furiously ran away from her range, dodging as much as she could while avoiding being grabbed and hit by the robots.

"Wander! Anything you can do to stop them? You've been through training after all!" Sylvia called to him.

"I'll give it a shot!" He said cheerfully.

He said to Nate to his ear, "Boost me up!"

"With pleasure." Nate carefully held Wander up facing backwards towards their chasers, and he took a deep breath.

"Just remember what he told you, keep calm. And use a shield." He told himself.

"Wander! I can't shake them off any longer!" Sylvia warned.

"Shhh!" Nate shushed her.

Holding his hands at the bots he whispered, "Defend!"

A circular shape of light formed and became bigger, Wander was able to move it around anywhere he wanted, and it was perfect timing, the robots began to shoot lasers at him and they deflected off the shield. Some hit and ricochet back at the robots, instantly destroyed by their own weapon.

"Yeah! ahaha!" Nate cheered and blew out his tongue.

"UGHHHH!"

Mildly annoyed Dominator wanted in more of the fun; she fully suited up and stomped her way to the back of the ship and jumped, and headed for them.

"It's better when you can watch them more closer, I'll wipe those smiles off their faces!" She hissed through her disguised voice.

But she stopped.

She looked back at her ship, and gasped. She had heard alarms and security systems blaring from it.

"Take this!"

Deena shot yellow like liquid onto her ship; it was left open and vulnerable, the liquid landed and yellow smoke began to arise..the surface began to crinkle and sizzle.

"NOOO!" Dominator yelled dramatically, she went back for the ship.

Sylvia made a speedy U-turn and met back up with Deena, Deena landed her car and she watched the ship begin to corrode, the others watched as well.

De-suiting, Dominator went back to the deck and yelled,

"Give me analysis of the damage!"

Her screen showed and scanned the frontal deck and lower body, it flashed red-orange,

"Engine and power source: 70% damaged; Volcanium X torrents critical; needs immediate attention."

"Flarpdrassin dorks! Destroying my ship like that!" Dominator yelled furiously and banged the dashboard with her fist.

"What was that stuff you sprayed?" Sylvia asked Deena, very pleased and enjoying Dominator frustrated.

"A liquid that rendered her power outage useless, turning Volcanium X's atoms and molecules into mush."

Nate leaned over with a dry look, "Meaning?"

"It's an opposite of Volcanium X: Volcanium 0." Deena crossed her arms and puffed her chest proudly.

"Okay." Nate went with it.

"Before she retaliates…" Mono appeared in front of them, grinning. He'd had watched them the whole time.

"I'm going to finish this off."

"Where'd you come from?" Nate was baffled and forgot he was still around.

"You're not going to kill her, are you?" Wander said, worried.

Mono gave him a side glance, "You'll see soon enough."

"UGH! I'm coming for you!" Dominator yelled,

She suited up again, ready to tear up something...then a laser shot at her, but it missed.

"Who did that?!"

Dominator is surprised to see all her probes and robots in a line, holding their lava like hands up as if readying to attack her, they mumbled gibberish, their lenses flashed and circulated.

"Your part in this is over, Dominator." Mono cackled.

"Don't just stand there! Destroy them!" She slung her arm, ordering them to do her bidding.

 **"Misinterpreted: please repeat."** One smaller bot spoke.

"I said; destroy them! Make me repeat again, I'll-"

 **"Destroy us first? I don't think so."** A taller bot in the middle hissed, it wasn't happy.

"How?" Dominator was stunned, "How are you doing that!? Why are you doing this?"

They shot more lasers at her again, she ducked and covered her head, despite knowing she could've used her suit to protect herself, but she was too stunned to think about it.

Mono had his hand raised at the ship, eyes luminescent, and he concentrated, he spoke with the robots; he allowed them to speak their voices they could never use..; and slowly...his hand began to shape into a ball.

 **"Lord Mono helped us open our eyes; we refuse to serve you any further."**

Dominator went from shocked, to gritting her teeth and growled.

"You _will_ listen to me! I can just scrap you and make you again!" Dominator argued, she then suited up again, put on her mask and shot lava at them, some moved out of the way, while some were unfortunate and instantly ruined and damaged.

"I'll DESTROY YOU ALL, I don't need you!" She screamed in her automated male voice, "I don't need ANYONE in order to help get what I WANT!"

She shot more lava, her hands formed a spear then a hammer and she hit as many as she could,

Her suit began to crack.

"Oh no." Dread spilled from her face.

The suit cracked and fell apart, only her shirt with the split heart and long skirt were left. Her helmet fell off.

"NO!"

She knew why this was happening, and only had seconds to leave the ship. She was too enraged to think about it sooner and took it out on the robots. The ship was on automatic piloting and was making its way to the ground.

 _"Warning! Surface is below 1000 ft and will land."_

 **"Lord Dominator, the Volcanium 0 has taken it's toll on your ship, if you want to live, you better surrender to your enemies below."**

"How...HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

She now shook in fear, she made a break for an emergency escape down a corridor, opened it and jumped out. Without anything to catch her.

"Look! She escaped the ship!" Deena pointed out.

While falling, Dominator gazed at her fallen home, eyes full of confusion and fear. Her suit's long skirt flapped, hitting her legs. She was on the level of a defenseless girl, and her only friends turned against her.

Her eyes turned to rage. She remembered the one person who helped fix her ship, supported her, gave her the opportunity to make her enemies cower in thirst for revenge, just thinking about the bite wound on her arm made it tingle, she thought he cared…

"Mono." She growled.

With enough anger to power her, she activated her suit, not all of it covered her torso, she tested the gloves, they shaped her weapons, and that was all she needed. All she needed to inflict pain on the one who stabbed her in the back.

"MONO!" She screamed.

She safely landed, making a crater into the ground, luckily it didn't break her legs and stormed her way to her enemy, they weren't far away, just several yards.

Mono took swift steps to her, smug. He was in a good mood, giddy and condescending.

"MONO! YOU FILTHY SCUM!"

She rampaged towards him, eyes redder than before, she formed her hand into a hammer, ready to smash him into the ground,

"DIE!"

Mono still kept his fist into a ball, smirking confidently;

"You first, milady."

Dominator didn't get the chance to hit, Mono pulled his elbow back and thrust his arm into her stomach; an invisible gust of air pummeled through her body, spine nearly snapped. She gagged vomit up and grunted. Mono had punched her, yet didn't make any contact to her skin.

Defeated again, she fell on her face, and didn't move.

 **BOOOOOOOM**

The ship exploded from afar. But barely noticed by the two of them.

"You...you'll pay for this." She coughed.

"I've already paid enough of my share, and you did as well. And I don't mean just me repairing your ship."

She grabbed his leg, she had enough energy to be able to snap his shin bone, but he didn't flinch, he simply stared at her, blank.

"I've been through enough pain to where I don't even feel it anymore. You're wasting your time."

Dominator couldn't hold on anymore much less stay conscious, she passed out finally.

"A sad little girl like you has no chance of ruling this universe, for once, wallow in your own muck." Mono said in a low voice.

"Mono!"

He directed his attention to the group, fascinated by his victory in stopping Dominator.

"That was awesome! You took her out like "BAM!" and she was down!" Deena cheered, she imitated his punch.

"No problem." He shrugged.

"Is she okay, though?" Wander peered over the group, slightly worried.

Mono's expression froze, his eyes widened. He slowly looked at Wander, and Wander looked at him. He grinned callously.

He laughed.

The feeling from earlier made Nate stop breathing, he started to recoil from Mono's demeanor. Something was screaming at him to run.

"Really? why is it you show sympathy for someone who wanted to kill you? You make me sick." Mono raised his brow, his eyes turned crazed.

"W..what?" Wander's hands shook.

"Wander, who is this guy? He's so weird." Sylvia asks, keeping his eyes on Mono.

"RUN!"

Nate yelled and shielded Mono away from everyone, his eyes had shrunk with fear.

"RUN NOW! He's dangerous-!"

Nate grunted, a sick slicing sound came from behind,

Mono had tore and clawed through his shirt to his back. Blood stained his finger-tips.

"You're in my way. Always have been, for 50 years."

Nate fell over. Everyone else stood stunned by what they saw, too shocked to utter a word. Even more shocked that not a shred of remorse was displayed by Mono.

"Wander, I need to talk to you…" Mono licked one claw and smiled, his eyes glowed.

 _"Alone."_

"Why, _YOU!"_ Deena was furious by his actions, and drew her stun gun and charged at him.

"Deena, stop! You can't-" Sylvia was about to chase after her,

Mono vanished within the blink of an eye, blood had erupted from Deena's protective uniform and she stumbled,

"AHH!"

He her in the face, knocking her off her feet. Mono reappeared, he smacked his hands.

"Wandeeer….come here, I just wanna talk." He mocked in a cutesy tone.

"You want him? You're going through me!" Sylvia instantly went into protective mode, she hugged him tightly, and growled.

Wander pushed a bit through her grip, "Mono, why are you doing this?! I thought we were friends!"

"Say that word again, and I won't waste time cutting your Sylvia to pieces." Mono held his claws close to his own face.

"Some friend you are, you better stay away!" Sylvia warned again.

"Everyone…."

Wander begun to tear up, he looked helplessly at Deena, Nate, even Dominator. They were seriously hurt and he couldn't help them right now. He needed to get the truth out.

"Mono, I thought you said Dominator murdered your father, why did you go so far to fight her?"

Mono cracked his neck,

"Oh, that was real, in other words; it was true he was murdered. By the hands of the Slitkith daughters." He glared at him.

"Slitkith? You don't mean…" Sylvia stammered.

"The very people you thought you knew were your allies, dear Sylvia. They, and their monster of a mother killed him and proceeded to do wretched experiments on me."

Cracking of his bones could be heard, thunder from the sky synchronized with him. Both went silent, but fearful of what he would do next.

"For hundreds of years, I've waited..to become something I'm capable of...the embodiment of your fear."

They didn't notice it, but the sky above them began to bleed dark spots, blood seeped from them, and inside, several hands and arms appeared, the hands of those that passed away from the laboratory.

"I will get what I want. I want to eat Wander. He'll join me, as one mind, one body. He'll finally revive my father…"

Mono's body and bones began to creak and crack louder, eyes turning black and red, he shifted 3 more feet;

"If I have to make the galaxy a living hell in order to bring him back, then so be it!" Mono expressed despair, and anger.

Wander began to cry softly. He wanted to believe in him, he wanted to see somewhere there was redemption. He wanted to reach out… But deep down...Wander was just as much as enraged. His own claws tried to retract, but he held them in.

"NOW GIVE HIM to me!" Mono pounced, one hand ready to tear them up.

"Wander!" Sylvia hugged him tightly, she too had tears falling.

"Sylvia! I have to-!" Wander cried,

-SLASH-

They both heard blood...but not from themselves… they opened their eyes to witness a new horror….

He panted, held one hand to his torso...RS Wander had taken the killing blow, he stood in front of Sylvia and Wander and between Mono….

Barely able to breathe, more blood oozed from his body, his red scarf was torn from his neck. No longer able to stand up, he fell over..not before as his own tears fell with him…

"I'm sorry…"

He fell into a pool of his own blood.

Both Wander and Sylvia stared, too horrified to speak.

"I'm surprised you pushed through my illusion; I'll give you credit for that, but now you're dead." Mono bent his knees, now mocking him.

Wander had enough. More than enough; he couldn't handle it. He wasn't going to allow his friends to be hurt any further...

"Wander?"

Sylvia felt him shake uncontrollably, seeing his hands on his face. Wander began to cry hysterically.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!" Wander screamed in pain,

A burst of light engulfed him, a force pushed Sylvia away, forcing her to let him go and be tossed backwards and roughly hit the ground.

She looked at her friend, gob-smacked by what was happening.

"WANDER!" she cried out to him.

" **Die.**.. **Die**... **die** …." a monstrous voice came from him, as a new-formed Wander stepped forward.

It may not as well been him, Sylvia gasped. Wander had shifted to 13 feet, his entire body black as night, flames and smoke whipped and moved, claws deadly sharp, an expression of pure despair on his face, eyes brighter than emerald.

"Welcome to hell." Mono smiled, pleased.

"Wander!" Sylvia stood and was going to run to him, but something pulled her leg,

"Don't go near him."

Nate fought to stand up, he stopped her from taking another step, "If you touch him, you'll die."

"Nate! Are you alright?" Sylvia supported him from his underarms, internally begging she wasn't going to lose him, too.

"I really wish I had that coffee now." He laughed awkwardly.

"This isn't the time for jokes! Tell me what's wrong with him!" Sylvia cried, now full on tears were on her face.

Nate looked at Wander, the nomad still stood in pain, wispy black flames were increasing.

"Wander….he might never come back...he's become...a Mournicle."


	16. Chapter 16

It was a typical and normal day at Spearnight, Amie was outside bringing her outdoor plants inside the museum; a chilly night was on it's way. She also carried some to her car to take home and protect them from the cold. Once she was done, she helped Cod close up the museum for the night. Almost everything was fixed and refurbished since the accident with the mirror, and taking extra caution to dispose any pieces of glass lying around because they were corrupted. By now, every piece was gone.

Amie stopped to sit for a moment on the porch. A storm was coming. And it wasn't a snowstorm or a thunderstorm.

"After all this time, he's still alive.."

Amie wished she had a cup of tea to soothe her nerves, she was uneasy. She had the talent of being able to see hundreds of miles away into the galaxy, all of her relatives had it. She witnessed bursts of light and raw power from beyond. But behind them, she couldn't see what caused them.

"Amie." Cod opened the door and went to her,

"Anything else I can lift for you?" He almost tripped along the way and had to catch his breath.

"No, that's all." She smiled at him.

"Alright, I'll close up, get the security on, and we'll go home." He clapped his little fins.

Since being hired he wore an eggplant-colored suit which he enjoyed more than from his previous job. But his tie was undone to let more neck room.

"By the way, Cod."

Cod stopped mid-way and turned awkwardly, almost tripping again. "Hm?"

"From this day on, things will never be the same." Amie looked indirectly at the floor, her eyes shimmered.

Cod raised a brow and puckered his mouth, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see, we just have to wait for Wander to return." This time, she smiled.

Cod loved seeing her smile more than anything in the universe; when she did, he too smiled back.

"How's the ring I gave you?" He was giddy to know.

"I left it at home for today, didn't want it to be ruined." She got up.

She was done with her break, now she needed her keys and would wait for him to lock up.

"I'll be right back." He quickly vanished into the building.

Amie looked out again, her eyes turned to worry.

"Be careful out there, you two."

* * *

RS Wander was miserable. He felt like his body was on fire; half-transformed, drooling and bent over he walked sluggishly with no destination.

But just feeling regret.

He was forced to relive the memories of his incident, Mono controlling him, taunting him, and ordering to kill everyone he loved.

"Everything is your fault, you never cared for them, you just wanted their approval."

He would run endlessly to reach for comfort, he'd see Sylvia, Wander, Nate, their backs turned away from him, they'd look at him with hateful eyes. They'd disappear before he could talk to them.

"Monster." Was all they said to him.

"I thought I was loved, was everything a lie?"

He fell to his knees and ripped off his scarf, he dug his claws into its material.

"If you hate me so much then your gift to me is meaningless."

He let it slip from his fingers. As memories blended together they overwhelmed him. He wanted to die. He Had enough.

He got his wish.

The jumbled playbacks became quiet and he looked around..he was inside a laboratory.

"Hello?"

He felt relieved at least that he could breathe, and stood up, behind himself was a table. He was stunned to see a familiar face.

Mono lay there bleeding, half-crying with an arm missing..his eyes dead and distant.

"Mono?"

As much as he hated him, he went to snap him out of whatever was causing him to be catatonic.

"Hey!.. loser, wake up."

He snapped his fingers in his face, but nothing came from him. He sighed tiredly, he flung his fist at his face..

Only to have it go through his skull. Thus frightened RS Wander, he stared at his hand.

"No way...am I dead?"

The lights went out, a large spot light was focused on Mono; and the lights inside a window up in the room were on. RS narrowed his eyes;

Four people stood, two in back, and two in front: two young girls, and a woman.

An older Furnicle stood next to her. He wore a long lab coat, goggles on his forehead, hands in pockets. His fur had grown past his shoulders so it was pulled back into a ponytail.

RS Wander somehow teleported to being in the room with them. In the blink of an eye, he now was watching Mono from below.

"If I'm dead, then they can't hear me." RS Wander thought, "But why am I seeing this?"

"Everything is going smoothly, I appreciate your help in this." The woman set one hand on the older male Furnicle.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Of all the other failed subjects,"

He gazed up at her with a callous expression;

"My son will further benefit our species."

RS Wander stood stunned.

"His son?"

Seconds later he saw them run, except for the older Furnicle, he protected his head from free glass that shattered from the observation window, Mono had escaped in a rampage and stood before the smaller man, seemingly not recognizing his father.

"Welcome home." He said passionately.

He didn't even try to run. He let his son tear him up.

Mono delivered a killing blow to his chest and face, the man's hair came loose. Blood hit everywhere in the room as Mono roared furiously. His state of mind was unbalanced.

RS Wander held his hands to his ears, he had ducked to the floor to avoid being hit by him and glass. He saw nothing but the blood of the fallen Furnicle, and Mono panting and drooling over him.

"Why..?" RS Wander whispered.

Monos eyes turned lighter and looked down, a look of sorrowing pain fell on him.

"Dad?"

He cautiously touched his head, hoping he was mistaken that he was dead; he called him over and over, each time becoming more heartbroken. Mono cradled his body and sobbed, regretting attacking him.

Or was he?

Something wasn't adding up, where was Dominator who supposedly killed him..? RS Wander stood up. His scarf was still on, he gripped it tightly. What was real and what wasn't at this point?

"Mono, why did you lie to me?"

"He didn't lie."

The scene vanished, RS Wander was back in the lab, but undamaged, the window above was not broken. Not as surprised, he got the hint the memory was finished showing itself.

"He forgot. That's the underlying problem."

RS Wander saw Mono sit on the experiment table; legs hanging and swayed back and forth. A look of embarrassment and sadness was on his expression.

Mono air- quoted "Me, slash-I," just rather not think about it after all these years, because it was too much."

"What's going here?" RS Wander demanded to know firmly.

"He put a hallucination in your mind, but somehow the truth accidentally slipped in; freed itself. Technically speaking."

"This is a hallucination?" RS Wander spread his arms out to the room.

"Not at the moment, no. It wore off. I've been here for as long as I can remember. My friends kept me from it."

Mono smiled.

This time...of relief and a glimpse of happiness. It was a rare and unique display of human like emotion.

"..Waiting for the day when I'll wake up and face that truth. I need your help, Wander."

RS Wander's hair tufts covered his eyes, not happy.

"Help?" RS Wander stomped to him and grabbed the scruff of his chest, glowering;

"Last time I checked, you tried to use me to get to my other self, you wanted to use him."

Mono shrugged his arms up, "That wasn't my decision, and I'm sorry. But now you need to wake up and help them both."

"Wake up?" RS Wander let go, getting annoyed,

"Since I'm here, and you saw everything you needed to know, now tell him the truth."

Mono smacked his hands and each side of RS Wander's head..

He took in a deep breath. RS Wander looked around frantically, only to be surrounded by snow and forests. He saw his claws retract back, and he figured he must've been not aware of his post-transformation.

"Wander! Nate!"

It finally clicked that he needed to race back to camp, and hoped he wasn't too late.

As he was just meters away, he saw Mono about to slice Sylvia and Wander, he went in between them,

"DON'T! Mono-!"

-SLASH-

By barely making it, he took the hit. Mono's claws ripped through his stomach and spleen, he felt like 20 daggers had cut him apart. With him losing his vision, he knew he failed.

"I'm sorry…"

...

With Wander out of control, he slowly came for the one who ripped them away with no remorse. A walking shell of his former self. Wispy flames flew up from every part of his body, he cracked his fingers. Each step Wander made, the ground caved in and steamed to mush, and before inflicting pain on anyone else, he bent down before his fallen friend.

" **Wander?** " His voice was deep, several octaves lower from his soft and cheery tone.

Wander rubbed his hand against RS Wander down his back, hoping he'd get him to wake up.

"This is interesting."

Wander's face grimaced with anger again, he stared down at Mono.

"Rumors were true after all; Mournicles exist. I've heard the stories, and here you are." Mono spread his hands outward, amazed.

Wander growled, now he was ready to unleash unholy havoc on him.

"Wander! Can you hear me, buddy?!" Sylvia cried to him.

Nate held into her to prevent from getting close; Sylvia fought the urge to come between them and stop the fight herself, though still keeping Nate's warning in her head.

Mono tapped his own face in curiosity, "Makes me wonder.."

He bent on all fours and transformed himself, now 10 feet taller, eyes darkening. They weren't red and black, but completely crimson with black slits. His claws dug into the ground, it buckled underneath him, raw pathogenesis radiated from them alone, his fangs going past his chin.

 **"Are you any tastier than before?"**

Wander sneered, disgusted at him and jumped like a cat, ready to swing his claws…Mono drooled like a rabid animal and did the same.

"Wander! Please, you gotta stop!" Sylvia begged,

She was going to call him again, but the roars of an engine cut her off.

Then it came. A skull-ship twirled in the air and crashed onto the planet's surface. Once the dust cleared the jaw opened... and Hater and Peepers came to the scene. Everyone else stared stunned at the unexpected guests.

"How...did they find us?" Nate stammered.

"WE'RE HERE! Whether you like it or not, we're gonna help because I'm the greatest!" Lord Hater declared.

"Sir, look!" Peepers pointed to RS Wander on the ground who was motionless.

Hater stared horrified..

"Is he...is he dead?"

A wicked smile crept on his face. Hater threw his hands up;

"YEAAAAH! Wander is dead! Looks like I don't have to help at all!" He yelled victoriously.

"We gotta help!" Peepers went to RS Wander, and he speedy ran past Hater.

"Awwww, come on!" Hater moped.

He grudgingly followed the smaller alien when he and Peepers jumped out of their skin, Wander and Mono punched, bit, and snarled at each other creating gusts of wind that almost knocked anyone off their feet. They both roared.

Peepers and Hater held into each other,

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

They screamed like little girls and made a break back to their ship.

The ground shook as the two fought and continued to fight with one another. A blast of raw emotion blew away the unconscious Dominator against a rock. It woke her up. She coughed dirt from her throat and opened her eyes.

"What's going on?" She croaked.

She went bug eyed as the ground shook again, the impact of an explosion hurt her ears, she saw a brawl in front of her.

"That's a thing." Her voice shook.

"Dominator!"

She heard someone call for her, but couldn't turn her neck to look, it was either sprained or she twisted her neck.

"Dom!"

A male octopus appeared from behind her and used 6 of his arms to pull her to him,

"Woah! Let go of me old man, that's gross!" She tried to push off but he gripped harder.

"Don't argue! We have to get someplace safer!" He yelled furiously.

Seeing she couldn't change his mind, she tried her best to stand despite her stomach was screaming agony at her to rest. Deena recovered from the beating Mono gave her and ordered everyone to get inside her car. Sylvia worked on carrying RS Wander to safety as well, she hoped she wouldn't get caught in between the two monsters fighting to the death.

To make matters worse, the sky was the most disturbing thing they'd ever seen: Blood poured and seeped from fleshy holes, groans and moaning mixed together that made it feel like they were in a stadium filled with people, arms and hands tried to grab whatever came near them.

"Get in, get in! Hurry!" Deena called from the driver's seat.

All three including Sylvia holding RS Wander slammed the doors shut. Sylvia sat in the passenger's seat, Dominator and Nate in the back. Deena turned on the engine;

"No, wait!" Sylvia gripped Deena's paw, "We can't just leave Wander!"

"Let go! I'm not leaving." Deena pushed a button.

A shield similar to an Orrble bubble protected them from oncoming waves of destruction and streams of emotions.

"Oh, I see; sorry." Sylvia became timid and mortified.

"Anyone going to explain what's going on?" Dominator felt invisible.

"I'm surprised you care." Sylvia said, eyebrowing her. "And you're alive."

"Excuse me," Deena gently moved against Sylvia to open the dashboard.

She pulled out a first aid kit. Sylvia was relieved to have seen that, it was the first good thing all day. Deena turned on the light from the ceiling. The strange atmosphere outside had become almost pitch black. No one could see beyond the protective shield. It's almost become a different universe.

"Syl, check his heart."

"Oh, okay."

She removed the ripped scarf from his neck, she put her ear on his chest. Nate watched closely, holding his breath.

It was faint. But he was barely alive.

"Bring him to the center, I'm going to disinfect his wound."

Deena put gloves on, and next she dabbed cotton balls with alcohol and into his broken and torn skin. She moved any free and bloodied fur from him and put in in a waste bag. With the help he was getting, his body began to heal itself. Only pink-reddish lines were visible, but patches of fur was missing.

The temperature started drop down, and was decreasing rapidly. This made RS Wander shiver.

"Keep him warm, I'll watch out the window." Deena told Sylvia.

"With what? We don't have blankets." Sylvia huffed.

"Before I could forget, I picked this up."

Nate held Wander's hat over her shoulder.

She gasped happily,

"Perfect, thank you Nate."

She slid the hat under his body, and like a suction cup, the hat closed its socket and left his head out to breathe. It focused on its job to warm him up.

Safely inside the skull ship, Hater and Peepers fought back the shivers from the cold outside but couldn't shake off the chills from their spines. Other watchdogs watched them with curious and worried faces.

"WHAT was that thing out there?! No..both of those things!?" Hater flailed his arms at Peepers.

"I don't know sir, I just don't know."

"Well, what do we do now?" Hater picked Peepers up, obviously scared.

" I don't know that, either. I think we just wait until everything blows down."

"But what if Wander is out there, and he doesn't have Sylvia to help him? As much as I hate him, he shouldn't be trapped and hurt by those two freak-a-zoids."

Peepers sighed and chuckles, "Your unusual sense of generosity is astounding, sir."

Hater denied it.

"Ew. But I guess you're right, we'll just wait."

...

"Tell us Nate, what're Mournicles?" Deena gripped the steering wheel, watching the black storm outside intensely.

Sylvia held RS Wander close, she didn't want to imagine the worst, him dying or becoming the very _thing_ that was out there.

"I'll just be here..I guess." Dominator squished herself into the corner as much as she could.

She wasn't used to being this close to other people.

Nate took a deep breath.

"Furnicles have a final stage; and it doesn't happen often. When they're pushed to the edge of their power or emotional limit..their Pathokenesis becomes extremely unstable, they forge a former shell of themselves."

"That's...so sad." Sylvia wept softly.

"After the wars, the few surviving Furnicles wandered alone, some of the researchers while keeping them in labs recorded that after they turn into a Mournicle, it's near impossible to revert back."

Sylvia's chest tightened. She whipped her eyes at Nate.

"When they enter that stage, they eventually disappear and die. Never to be seen again."

He glanced at his foster,

"Their intelligence withered, they make temperatures drop because of their broken state. They're cold to the touch, if they get into contact..you could peel and burn your skin off. Just like touching dry ice."

Nate leaned forward to Sylvia.

"That's why I couldn't let you go near Wander, you touching him will kill you." Nate's own eyes watered.

"So, there's nothing we can do?"

Deena begun to sniffle.

Everyone was silent.. until a blast hit the shield. It was enough to to wake RS Wander, he narrowly opened his eyes..

Wander was just a few feet outside the bubble, panting and crying, his back faced them. Everyone's jaws dropped and froze, trying not to make a sound.

Mono appeared, smiling an evil grin,

"I have some bad news, **your friends are dead! so is** the other Wander, **you killed them."**

Mono was simply screwing with his head, it was obvious. Wander screeched again, and a new event took place.

Spike-shaped bones protruded from his spine.

Blood splattered everywhere, the wind carried it and it landed on Mono. But it didn't bother him. Wander bent forward, roaring and light formed on the tips of his broken spine, he shot a ray of destruction at his enemy.

He made a bolt for it, and they both disappeared again. Everyone eased up, grateful they were safe again for the time being.

"I refuse to believe it."

They all looked at Sylvia,

"Wander needs our help. Up to this point he's done so much, and there's no way in this hell I'm going to dump him again."

She looked firmly at Deena,

"Look after him," She set RS Wander in her lap,"I'm going out there."

Before anyone could stop her she opened the door and left the car. The wind nearly knocked her off her feet, but she kept running.

"Sylvia! come back! You'll get killed!" Deena screamed outside her window.

What Sylvia didn't know until she reached it was: the shield allowed anyone to go outside, but disallowed anything to come towards it. She was happy to go…

Until she stepped outside…Nothing looked like what it was before; the beautiful snow-covered mountains and valleys had been reduced to dust, trees torn down and broken, the sky still covered in holes with the dead souls, their eyes watching her, wanting her. The temperature was unbearably cold, below 15 Fahrenheit.

But she couldn't see the two of them; they weren't in sight. Sylvia took a few steps, and was cut off by arms and hands, they blocked her way!

"No way out…"

"You can't go.."

"Don't disturb.."

"And why not?!" Sylvia bared her teeth, "I won't let you stop me!"

"Sylvia."

She turned around, RS Wander clutched his stomach and slowly walked to her.

"There's something I have to tell you."

"Can't it wait? These jerks are being.. well, jerks."

"No, it needs to be known." He pressed.

"Fine, what is it?"

"Before it's too late, Mono must be stopped. He doesn't know what really went on almost a thousand years ago."

"Well duh, that's why I'm here."

The arms tried to grab him, and he barely moved out of the way. He stared them down..

"Shut up.."

"Don't disturb…"

A more clear voice filled in between them:

"If Mono doesn't eat, he'll be alone again."

Several appeared, Furnicles they'd never met or seen before, their forms half-solid, stood in a line across to prevent them from going forward.

"All this time, that's what we made him to believe." A male spoke, his aqua-green eyes glowed.

"Whether he eats him or not, Mono will stay the same and we will have Wander live with us." another male put in.

"That's what his father would've wanted us to do. That was his life's goal. To be one and forever living.." A female told them.

RS Wander narrowed his eyes angrily at them. He took a step forward, his fangs grew,

"Stay the same, eh? So far...all I hear are _lies._ "

Sylvia looked at them back and forth, trying to understand what they meant.

"What you mean by "stay the same" you just mean his dad actually won't come back? Am I right?" He hissed.

Sylvia gaped.

"Correct." Another female answered.

"He's lived with you all for almost a millenia and you kept him and yourself alive based on a lie."

"We cannot allow you to interfere." One in the back shouted.

"Try it!" RS Wander challenged,

Almost all of them growled at him.

"The one only who's been honest is Mono! I met him!"

They all froze, and gasped.

"You probably locked him up to avoid the truth from being let out of the bag, huh?! Well newsflash, this battle has already been won before it started."

"You lied to him?" Sylvia cried, now understanding.

"That's right. So we won't be alone." A male Furnicle glared at her.

RS Wander shook his head, disgusted.

"You're all nothing but walking, talking, cancer. A cancer that needs to be put in it's place." RS Wander hissed confidently.

"Once the real truth is out there, Mono doesn't need you. Instead…"

His expression went soft.

"Move on. I'm sorry for what happened to you, you all deserve peace."

They began to recoil and behave strangely, a few tried to not listen and block his words, some bent backwards and their bodies shook, seizing. They were rejecting his confrontation.

"Ok _aaaa_ y." Sylvia backed away nervously, and hugged RS Wander.

"They won't attack, I can sense it."

"How do you know?" Sylvia said sarcastically.

"They're in denial." He answered, eyes shrinking to say "typical Furnicle pride," look.

They all vanished. They were going back to Mono, to lie to him further, and go with the plan.

"Syl, we need to wait. And trust me…"

RS Wander stepped forward,

"Wander is the only person who can stop all this."


	17. Chapter 17

The fight continued. Their energy alone was enough to blast any nearby trees and small hills. The sky became redder to almost black. They were miles away from the camp and away from the others.

Wander pushed every piece of himself to attack and bring down Mono. All he could think of was his friends, being brutally killed and hurt over, and over again in his mind. Not only was he over-imagining things;

Mono was also responsible for putting hallucinations into his brain; he found that Wander's scent and taste of despair was among the most delicious thing he'd ever found. So he played along.

Wander stopped, his feet and claws stabbed the ground, the dirt underneath turned to ice. Smoke and black fire continued to rise from his body, and they were getting increasingly more visible and thicker. His spine hurt so badly.

The moment he stopped, he started to howl and cry; not from the tauntings, but from the physical pain from the exposed and torn bones on his back, as well as the rest of his body. He wanted to curl into a ball and cry for eternity..

"What do I do? **I can't kill you!** What do I do? I can't **kill you..What do I do?** I can't kill you.."

Wander repeated the same things over and over, sounding like a madman. He cradled himself as he talked, he was so conflicted with emotions;

" _Must kill, must kill, must kill,_ KILL YOU, EAT YOU, AND KILL!"

" **Come here, then.** " Mono gestured to him.

At first he was reluctant to do anything, just breathing and moving was painful enough, but the second he looked at his enemy, he found a new outlet to smash his pain into...

Wander growled, this time.. of pleasure. Finding a new reason and new confidence, he devoured it.

He couldn't even remember their faces and names,

RS Wander, Sylvia, Nate, Deena, Hater, Peepers, Amie, Cod…..they were gone.

What was the point of mourning for friends who are dead?

"May as well," Wander smirked, "I **don't c** are anymore."

"Welcome to **my world.** " Mono laughed.

Wander thought carefully despite his grief of how to take him out, he needed to distract him. Now that he was focused, the poisonous flames from his figure lessened.

He grunted, pulled his own neck back and stretched his hands to point at the ground… a mild earthquake shook underneath them. His tactic was set in motion.

"Enough playing games, **come at me.** " Wander invited, he stood on all fours.

 _ **"Gladly."**_

They both jumped at each other, ready to strike; light from their eyes and hands evolved as their personal attacks. Mono used pain as his offense in one hand, the other to stun. Combining the two feelings together, he aimed for Wander to suffer in agony.

Wander on the other hand had his own tricks up his sleeve; he conjured regret and guilt together, as a test...there were so many other ones he wanted to try, his shot at inflicting pain would come later.

Every time Wander tried to hit..something strange took ahold,

Extra pairs of mutated arms would sprout from Monos body and prevented any attack getting near to inflict the desired damage Wander tried to put on!

"Try all you want, I'm invincible." Mono bragged.

Wander delivered a round-house kick to his head, Mono grabbed his foot and slung him to the air, he jumped to puncture him in the stomach..Wander avoided being stabbed by dodging in mid air, he shot his attack at him in a beam of light. Mono barely missed it, it hit him on his cheek, but barely felt it.

"Your skin...is so cold! And I've been to the most hellish places that were cold!"

Mono jumped again into the air, managing a punch to Wanders cheek;

"You and I, we're the same! **We've both thrown away** what was important to live!"

Like Mono, Wander didn't feel much of it, he was so fed up with his blabbering and teasing that all pain was near-non existent. He just wanted to end him. He wasn't making it easy to finish him off. Wander crashed into the ground. Mono landed in his feet, eyes shimmering with sadistic content.

"We are above all species; we could rule. But what's that point in ruling when we could spread fear into others? So much easier."

Wander snarled angrily.

"Eat."

The ones living inside him stretched their arms towards Mono, and Wander. They were going to assist in helping him devour Wander.

"Must eat.."

"Smells nice.."

"No more waiting.."

Just when they were about to touch him, Wander jumped on his hands and feet, flew at Mono and grabbed his neck.

"ACK!" Mono was caught off course, his supply of air was cut.

 _ **"How about no more of you living?**_ " Wander snapped.

Wander pinned Mono to the ground, his grip was harder than steel. Mono's eyes started to roll back to his skull, he knew if he pried his hand off it would burn his skin, but he risked it; he slapped, punched and scratched Wander's face and arm, in desperate attempt to free himself.

Wander's chance to inflict his revenge came, he pulled Mono's face close to his, eyes meeting..Wander inserted his rage, hate, and pain into him.

For the first time, Mono was the one screeching in fear. Bones began to snap. Energy blew up from the ground underneath, Wander released, then tossed him into the air…

Beams of light hit every inch of Mono, he screamed louder.

"I implanted my thoughts into the ground. Everything else was a distraction...to make sure you wouldn't notice my attack under your nose."

Mono couldn't speak or fight back. The pain he felt was different from external pain, and that didn't bother him; but the pain Wander was experiencing first hand and used it as a comeback was on a different level, it was horrible. He felt all the despair, doubt and skull-splitting pain he felt. That was his tactic.

After the lights faded, Mono dropped to the ground, barely breathing, but still alive.

Wander slowly made his way to him and stood over, his body still black and smoking. He stomped his foot onto Mono's stomach.

Mono didn't know what to feel anymore, much less feel mortified that he was defeated by his own lunch in front of him, Wander was supposed to be the one on the ground, not him.

"Any last words?" Wander smirked at him. He grew his claws to cleaver shapes.

Mono was amused, giving him a side glance, his eyes started to turn pink than red.

"I have nothing. At least I got to meet you, and witness that we are the same." He said softly,

"But I'll admit, I wasn't alone."

"Oh..so your words are pointless. They don't mean anything to me in the least." Wander hissed without a shred of compassion to him.

He raised his arm, ready to finally rip out his heart and ribs in one go….

"Goodbye."

* * *

Until a hand stopped him below his wrist. Everything went white.

"That's enough."

Wander was confused. His form was no longer black, but back to the fuzzy and warm orange fur.

Mono was gone.

Wander had sat on his knees, but nothing was under himself. He felt the same hand hold his arm and wrist. He turned around,

A disappointed Mirror Wander stared at him. Eyes tired and let down.

"I won't let you do anymore."

Wander immediately became enraged again, he shoved his reflected copy and took his arm back;

"WHY!? I was so close to killing him! He has to die!" He shouted.

"Listen to yourself." Mirror Wander pointed at him.

"What do you mean? No, what do you want? Why can't you just leave me be?!"

Wander pulled his hair tufts, frustrated, eyes brimming with tears,

"If I end Mono, he won't hurt anyone else! He killed the ones I love! They'll be much happier if he vanished!"

Mirror Wander stepped forward and punched him. Wander fell on his rear, he looked at him stunned.

"Believe me, I know how you feel. Do I want to feel sorry for you? Of course gropping not! The only reason I'm stopping you at this time and moment is because…"

Mirror Wander sat on one knee, and pulled Wander's hair from his head hard,

"..What's the point of you killing him if I'm not the one doing it?" He frowned, but his eyes held pleasure and desire.

"What do you mean?" Wander's lip trembled.

"I'll rewind the video for you,"

Mirror Wander narrowed his eyes:

"When you ate my skin that time, it changed everything."

He stood up and circled around him.

"You fell for my trap. But yet it both benefit us. It saved you, _and_ it twisted you."

Wanders stomach tied into a knot, he didn't like where this was going..

Mirror Wander put both hands on his kneecaps,

"A part of myself lives inside you. There's no going back, much less trying to rip it out. Eventually, you'll turn into something worse than some crazy monster, you turn into _me_."

Wanders eyes widened, pure horror took over.

"If that's true, then why are you telling me this?" Wander scooted away a little, getting scared.

Mirror Wander was bemused, and laughed.

"Because one day, I'll take over, and I want you to be aware of it."

"You wouldn't want to keep it secret?"

"No, I want you to be scared. Fear always works." He grinned evilly.

"It'll be easier that way for me to take control."

"Fear…"

Wander became somber, he looked down.

"Ooh, are you really scared now?" Mirror Wander taunted.

"Yes. But not for me."

"Huh?" His evil self raised a brow.

"For Mono."

"That loser? Come on. He's worthless. Don't tell me you feel sorry for him." He scoffed.

"He's hurting." Wander shot at him. "And I hurt him. He's probably angry for some purpose I don't of."

Mirror Wander shrugged, "So? And that's a good enough reason to hurt you back? It's pathetic."

"He wanted to come after me, I'm sure there's some explanation." Wander defended.

For the first time, Wander got up on his feet...and pushed him, and hard. He never pushed people, but this one deserved it.

"What's with you?" Mirror Wander glared.

"As for you, I won't let you hurt him or anyone else. I'll find a way to get you out of me."

Amused, he pulled his head back and laughed at how ludicrous by what he just said.

"Haha! I'd love to see you try..and fail."

"I'll find a way to make sure you don't hurt others, just watch me." Wander said defiantly.

"Well, if you really want to, then the first step is to use your head, and get back to it."

Mirror Wander snapped his fingers. Knowing how it worked, Wander was ready. The white space disappeared, and the ruins of the planet he destroyed was back in sight.

He took a quick look at his hands, and the rest of his body. He was back to his normal self. Even his spine was to its former place, and healed up. He did feel blotches of dried blood. But that wasn't surprising.

He heard Mono breathing heavily, he hadn't shifted back or changed, he was still tall, and trying not to pass out.

He took one glare at Wander,

"Why...how come you didn't do it?"

Wander blinked, and with a stern voice he said,

"Because it would be wrong. I'd regret it."

Mono tilted his head, disgusted.

" _You're soft._ All that reveal of you being like me was a fake."

"Just like your ego." Wander input.

"What would you know? Pain is normal, it's all I've ever felt. It's all I've made others feel."

Mono described it as if it was common sense, common thinking that everyone had. That wasn't right.

Wander's face went soft,

"But you don't have to. I can help! I always love to help. I can't fully comprehend why you're mad and hurting, but at least let me try?"

He walked forward, Mono took one step back, still glaring at him. Wander knew he was getting himself into further danger, he knew Mono could easily stomp or kill him with one hit. But he wasn't afraid.

"Mono...did you name yourself...because you were alone?" Wander bowed his head, sad.

"Shut... shut up." Mono covered his ears, he couldn't stand his soft and upbeat tone.

"Tell me what happened. Are you like Dominator...who's always been alone and doesn't know how to fess up? Is that it?"

"I said shut up!" Mono made himself into a ball, still trying to block him out.

"I don't care what you do to me, you can eat me, stab, or insult. I'm not going anywhere."

It wasn't a threat in the slightest, his voice was sweet. But to Mono it was condescending, he **hated** **it**. He hated being looked down on treated as some object to be poked at and studied, this one was no different other than his scent was good.

"You'd better stay back if you care about being ripped to be pieces." Mono warned again.

Wander held up his hand, he nervously smiled at Mono,

"I don't care about me, I care about you. I have since we first met."

"You're.. insane." He hissed.

"Maybe, but aren't we all a little insane? It's normal." Wander giggled.

"Your optimism is one of the most vile things I've seen. How are you so naive?"

"It's all I've ever known." Wander shrugged.

"What?" Mono jumped back.

The Furnicle spirits watched, they didn't like Mono standing there, they wanted more eating than talking, it was getting on their last nerves, and he knew it.

Wander tucked his hands behind his back, and looked up at the sky, eyes swirling with gleams,

"So...I didn't grow up with any parents or very much friends. I was pretty scared all the time, but just because I was scared, didn't give me the right to be mean or go out of my way to ruin someone else's day or hurt their feelings."

Wander giggled, having one hand bite his fingers on his jaw, as if he tickled himself.

"Instead of being a meanie, be _nice_. Show them that there are other ways to forget pain-"

"ENOUGH!"

Mono rushed at him and tried to hit him, but with Wander's natural reflexes, he moved out of the way in time, only mildly surprised and confused as to why Mono wanted to hit. But he stayed calm, and hopeful.

"Why're you so mad? We're friends!"

In mid air, he smiled and made a lazy slouch.

"Having friends to talk to and open up with is a little tough and needs work, but it's worth it in the end!"

"Whatever you're trying to do, it's not gonna work!" Mono yelled, he tried to hit again and again but missed every time.

"Remember earlier, you talked about being alone? It made me sad."

Wander landed on his feet without stumbling.

"Eughh," Tired and low on the ability to keep his form, Mono shifted back to usual size. But still managed to give a death glare at Wander.

"We're not alone." Wander said proudly. "No one ever is."

"Please, stop." Mono couldn't stand to look at him anymore, not because he was annoying…

"You see it too, right?" Wander took one step. He would take one each time Mono or himself spoke.

Mono bit his lips and shut his eyes, he turned away.

Pain.

Not from himself, but from Wander.

He saw a child crying alone in a cave, the walls a brilliant and vibrant pink, huddled into a ball, a smaller version of his hat...Wander looked at him with such pitiful eyes. It ignited back the horrible memories of being kept in that laboratory. Helpless to save himself, and help anyone else. He was allowed to be hurt and turned into something to be scared of. And no one apologized on their behalf for making him a monster. It was something he tolerated.

"It's not possible."

"It can happen."

"You were alone.."

"Yep. It wasn't fun." Wander scratched his head, blushing a little.

"No."

Mono didn't believe it, that someone like him shared the same pain, it wasn't true. Wander touched his own chest with his fingertips, the other arm behind his back.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Mono. But just don't do what I've done, especially what I did to you earlier. We all make mistakes, it's part of life."

Trying to appear as non threatening as much as he could for Mono...he needed it. Wander's appearance began to warm and glow. Mono needed this, and someone to support him. No one else. No one was going to help him if Wander didn't.

"NO!"

Mono raised his claws, and charged with full intent for Wander's blood. He had enough of this man trying to make him feel like some equal, he wanted to kill him so badly. If he didn't, the others wouldn't forgive him.

Wander still stayed calm, he too brought his own claws...but not to attack.

"WRAAAAAAGH!"

At the last second, instead of blood spraying..

An embrace took hold of Mono.

Wander froze him into a tight hug, he poured every piece of his own soul to make a warm, comforting welcome into his heart. He made it externally possible as much as he could for Mono to feel it.

"You're not alone..Mono."

Wander finally let out his tears for him. His claw tips poured a heavenly light against Mono's skin and fur. Mono couldn't attack, he still wanted to, but was stunned by such close exposure to Wander.

 _"I'm sorry they hurt you."_

Amie's voice rung in his head, he remembered when she made the same gesture. She embraced him into a hug and never understood it. He never knew what they meant. But he did now. He forgot all those decades of pain, from a simple touch.

A hug.

"Please, make it stop." Mono's eyes glossed, the fiery ruby orbs for the first time... released his own tears. Both of them fell to their knees while they kept clung tightly to each other. The planet let out a gentle, calming breeze. As if it was holding it's own breath for both of them.

The others watching became silent. They were still angry…but for once, not at Mono.

"We failed."

"Failure.."

"What was exciting is useless."

Wander opened his eyes, tears fell unintentionally from being tucked in his eyelids; he saw multiple figures of people coming near them, they grew in dozens, then to hundreds...to thousands.

Wander let go, looking at each of their faces. Mono temporarily stopped crying, but not as taken aback from their approach.

"There's...more of us?"

He didn't know whether to feel excited or scared, but both was mixed in.

"Mono."

All of them said his name at once, like a crowd waiting to join in a game. One to the right stepped in,

"We failed you. And not only that-,"

"We lied to you." A few hundred shouted at the same time.

Mono looked to be in pain again,

"What do you guys mean?"

The first Furnicle who walked forward continued,

"We made you believe that if you ate more of our kind, your father would be brought back. It wasn't true."

The look of guilt on this one's face said so much.

"-We only said this to help."

"-We just wanted you to not feel alone-"

-"I'm sorry it's come to this-"

Mono shook and held himself, "You lied to me? All these years?"

"Yes, we did." A female answered.

"Is it weird that I'm flattered that you guys saw me as someone who could help?" Wander blushed.

"Nah, only an idiot would see that." One scoffed.

"Aside from the point, the truth is out so now we must pay for it."

"But what about my dad?!" Mono yelled.

They were silent. They didn't know what to say, other than express guilt.

"We know you ate him too, but…"

A new female said from behind him, they turned nervously to see her, she held her hands together,

"Amidst the thousands of persons of us here, not once has he been seen with us."

"What does that mean?" Wander asked her.

"After you devoured him, he never joined you."

"Now that you mention it Ren, why is that?"

"It means…."

Mono darted his eyes, fearful. He didn't know what to believe.

"He's still alive, or lost somewhere in the depths of the universe."

Wander gasped.

"So he's not a lost cause, you dad could still be out there!" He shook Mono excitedly.

"We're leaving."

The two of them froze at that, all of them turned away and began to vanish one by one, but four stood by, smiling.

"We don't deserve to be by your side. For now, goodbye Mono."

"No!"

They vanished into thin air all at once. Mono held his arm to reach and tried to stop them, but they weren't there. He barely could touch one and they vanished, he fell on his legs.

He sobbed uncontrollably.

"Please, don't leave me!"

Mono cupped his face with his hands, he trembled.

"Don't leave me alone…"

Wander stood sadly. Now he understood.

"They...were your only friends, huh? I'm sorry."

Mono stopped crying and fell to his side, devastated, empty, and heartbroken. His chest convulsed from sobbing.

"I don't want to be alone."

Wander sat next to him, and rubbed his back.

"Like I said, you're not. I'm sure the others out there would be willing to help."

Wander stayed with him until he calmed down. The sky had been returned to it's normal color, it's lavender, blue, and steel grey comforted Wander. He was happy things from then on..were going to be better.


	18. Chapter 18

The freezing storm from the fight before had gone, but it was still cold. A real storm was on it's way, snow clouds were coming. It didn't stop the group inside the car to bundle up and bandage their injuries received from Mono.

They didn't forget Dominator was still sitting in the back corner, pretending to be asleep.

RS Wander finished patching up Nate, he was facing away and wrapping up the cuts,

"You didn't go to find Wander? What happened?"

"Mono's minions, or something like that...prevented us from going further." RS Wander pressed hard against his back to make the bandages stick.

Nate seized, he bit his lips.

"Owww….curse that Mono, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind."

RS Wander didn't respond. He wasn't sure how he could explain what was going on with Mono, now that he saw what was behind everything. Much less comprehend what he experienced.

"Anyways, I'm done."

For the first time in awhile, he had to take off the wraps on his hands and arms in order to move better, and used them for extra bandages. He tried using the hat, it provided some things, except gauze and bandages.

"Thanks, Wander. You're amazing." Deena messaged her shoulder to soothe the pain.

Sylvia anxiously watched outside the window, waiting for her best friend to show up in one piece. She wanted to feel confident and hope things were alright, the sky was clearer. But it didn't help much.

There was so many things she didn't understand, such as seeing the multiple and sudden Furnicles that didn't allow her to get to Wander, but she knew they were a problem, and that was it.

"So Wander..turned to full on-Mournicle form? I'm not surprised."

RS Wander looked through the antiseptic bottles available in the kit provided. He tried not to think of the time when he too, lost control.

"I'll have to admit, I've been there." He sighed.

Deena and Nate looked at him.

"So that's what those black flames were." Sylvia said.

"Yep. I'm not the only one who's been through that struggle." RS Wander input.

"It's why I told him to keep his emotions in check. Or else its going to transform you into something ugly."

Deena glanced out the window, she needed to take care of something.

"I'll be right back, got something to do."

"You think it's safe enough to walk out there?" Nate showed a little concern.

"Well, those black clouds are gone; I think it is."

Deena opened the door, took her phone and stepped out. She needed to be alone to call her supervisor. It was about to time to do it.

Time to position Wander into her mission.

Nate and Sylvia took the chance to get out themselves for fresh air, leaving RS Wander and Dominator behind.

"You sure are quiet, aren't cha?" He tried to make conversation, despite he knew how awkward he came off.

"It's a talent of mine," Dominator ruffled her hair,... "When there's idiots close by that I hate."

"Fair enough."

Not offended by her sass, he folded his arms. He looked at them; it felt strange without his wraps on.

His eyes widened,

He looked at Dominator, she winced in pain. She covered her stomach which was hidden, but he knew it was bruised, and she had many cuts on her body.

"Want me to put some band-aids on?" He offered.

Problem was.. his tone wasn't friendly, so it turned her off.

"As if. I don't need any help."

"Fine."

Not needing to stand her attitude, he wanted to leave. He was about to open the door,

A lava-hand stopped him.

He reacted the wrong way at first, his instinct was to hit her to get loose, but forgot his mace wasn't with him.

"That's my arm. Mind letting me go?" He said flatly.

"I'm not letting you leave." She spat.

"Why? Does my annoyance entertain you?" He tried tugging it off, but it wouldn't move.

"Believe me.."

She didn't make eye contact, the only one side of her hair covered her face.

"I want to crush you, and spew your insides. You look like Mono." She hissed hatefully.

"Wanna go at it, then? I'm more than happy to." He challenged, now a little excitement was getting to him.

"I'm not like him, whatever he did. I'm worse." He tried to sound threatening.

"...Don't leave. Please."

"What?"

The sudden change in her body language and voice caught him off his game. She tucked her legs close to her chest, one arm around them, the other hand still holding onto RS Wander.

"I'll kill you if you leave. The others, too."

"Wait a second…."

He leaned closer, "Are you sad?"

She didn't reply.

"Tell me what's up with you."

This time, he was more self-aware of his tone, he made it softer.

"Nothing is wrong. I just…" She flipped her hair,

Her eyes were redder than usual and her cheekbones were soaking wet.

"..Want help."

RS Wander's eyes popped, not expecting that sort of request from someone like her.

"This is some trap, isn't it?"

The instant he accused, he regretted it. But he couldn't afford to get injured again and let her or anyone else attack the group. Yet..It was the truth. He felt it. There wasn't much dishonesty he could sense from her.

"Listen..before you say anything stupid."

"Could you…" She looked at him,

"Help me with my ship? After that, I'll get out of your sight."

Dominator released his arm, her glove reshaped back to normal.

"Well...I guess I would but I have no idea how to repair a ship." He said honestly.

"Oh."

She winced again and grabbed her stomach.

"I'll take whatever medicine you have, go on and patch me up."

He rolled his eyes. But took out the med-kit otherwise.

"I think Wander would be willing to help more than me, I could ask him when he gets back." He suggested.

She slightly grinned.

"I hate him even more." She chuckled, "But at least he wouldn't back-stab me."

"And I'm not going anywhere; not until your pain is down."

Her face went somber, and eyes looked to be full of joyful tears,

"Thank you."

He had no idea why Dominator was thanking him, but he took it. He knew this was someone who blew up planets for fun, killed people for the heck of it without any regret. But here she was.. at her most vulnerable, showing appreciation?

"Let me remind you, madam.."

RS Wanders voice turned grim and he narrowed his eyes into hers..

"I'll never forget..or forgive you: you killed my son's parents in cold blood."

Her eyes popped, as if it was news to her. Her face faltered, then she remembered that day years ago. The fires, the destroyed homes...

"I'll be honest with you.."

He tilted his head back, listening.

"Not a year goes by Wander, that I've regretted it. I did worry if everyone got out of there in time."

RS Wander gaped slightly, not expecting her to say something like that.

"You pulling my arm just to make me feel better? I thought you loved torturing others."

"I did. Until I destroyed Orpid, I figured that everyone who lived there got out..but turns out those two adults who stayed behind weren't part of the "party."

"Party?"

"My idea of having fun. I had no idea until now, they stayed behind. I caught you back at that time, carrying a baby."

RS Wander tried all he could to refrain from yelling and punching her, now so much hatred for this woman was ready to burst-

"I'm sorry."

She couldn't take it, she moved her arm and hugged him. It was awkward, he was used to hugs somewhat at this point in life but it was strange to be held by someone he didn't know very well, much less by a killer…

"Sometimes I wonder if what I do is worth the pain, and then when I get bored, I just feel..useless after it." She sighed sadly.

"Then why don't you stop? Do something else for a change?"

"How do I that? And where do I even begin?" She shrugged, so defeated.

"You don't know that?"

Trying to get comfortable, RS Wander looked up at her,

It made her face pink.

"No, no one's ever showed me how."

"I don't either. You'll have to figure it out on your own."

She nodded. Dominator quickly wiped tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry for his parents. I didn't mean to end their lives, just to scare them. I don't believe in forgiveness..I've never understood it, but however it works.."

She patted and rubbed his head,

"I hope you can forgive me."

RS didn't know why himself… he teared up. Here was a woman who took lives for fun but finally seeing the consequences and effects, he felt somewhat guilty for getting angry at her.

Just like Sylvia taught him, he accepted the apology.

"You're forgiven. I'll tell Nate if you're too afraid to face him and you tell him what you told me."

He rubbed her shoulder, she flinched, not understanding what that gesture of contact meant, but it was rather reassuring.

"Thanks. I'd better go." She said nervously.

"Hang on.."

Before she could open the car door to leave, RS Wander took the hat and reached in, searching curiously if it could give Dominator something she'd need later on;

A hot cup of tea.

"Um..this is for you." He gingerly handed it to her.

She gave the item a dirty look at first, then she went on a softer expression..

"How did you know frag tea was my favorite?"

(Frag Tea is from the minerals of coral from the ocean, beaten into particle form to make a beverage)

"I didn't." RS Wander shrugged,"The hat knew."

"How…?"

There was so much she couldn't wrap her mind on, these people were so strange yet kind…

 _Could I be like this one day?_ She wondered.

As she pondered, she wasn't self aware that she had left the car, holding her cup of tea and repeating these questions to herself. Until she reached her wrecked ship.

Sylvia on the other hand, paced the destroyed grounds of the planet, hoping to find or spot Wander, but he wasn't anywhere.

She bit her fingers, anxious.

"Please be alright, please be alright, please be.."

Two small figures in the distance started to form..

Wander held and supported a tired Mono by his arm, he let him sling it over his shoulders as they walked closer.

Sylvia's lips curled slowly into a huge smile.

"Wander!" She yelled his name, she could see one head pop up after she did.

"Hey, Syl!" He waved.

Mono avoided looking at her. Sylvia for the moment was too concerned for her friend to pay any attention to him.

"You know the drill, come and give me a hug!" She opened her arms for him,

"Sorry, but...he's hurt, I'll have to hug later." Wanders eyes expressed worry for his new friend.

Now, it can't be avoided to look at her friends attacker; Sylvia flicked her tail once.

"Him? But why? He tried to kill everyone!" She exclaimed.

Wander shook his head and gripped Monos arm tightly.

"He won't anymore, I promise."

"Promise, my arse! He hurt everyone and tried to eat you, Wander!"

"It's true."

Mono spoke up, seemingly not as guilty.

"You can think bad all you want, there's no point in me killing you weaklings." He hissed like a snake.

"See?" Wander shrugged meekly. "Me and him had a good talk, it's gonna be fine."

As much she disagreed, Mono did appear weak and tired, not to mention cut every where, or was it dried blood? Either way, he was still hurt from fighting. No one would fight in a condition such as his.

"I'll trust your opinion, for now Wander." She gave in and sighed.

"Thanks Syl." He beamed at her.

He continued to help carry Mono to the camp, going past Sylvia as she watched.

She decided to help, despite what Mono did.

He was surprised to feel his other arm being lifted by Sylvia. He shook her possession nervously. She made a glance that said she was in guard, but there for the both of them.

It was so weird to him he was getting help, he would have wanted it a thousand years back, but now it was foreign to Mono.

RS Wander could smell them before they were psychically visible the his eyes, he waited for them. He set aside all negative opinions of Mono, until he came and he needed to hear the truth.

All three of them went to him after he called and waved.

"You alright, Wander?"

Wander nodded happily. Mono stood on his own without falling over, his leg was stiff (From Dominator snapping it) and he felt bruising all over.

"You wanna fight? Let's go."

Mono still had hate, he'd rather kill him than have to deal with him. Better now than later.

"Idiot. I'm not here to fight or argue, you and me need to have a chat."

"Huh? What about?" Wander asked out loud, but Sylvia interrupted.

She put her hand over his mouth and whispered something into his ear; Wanders face turned sad, his eyes tearing up.

"Ignore me, you two run along." He wiped his nose and trotted off to the camp.

"Come on."

RS Wander grabbed Mono by his bicep and dragged him, forcing him to walk.

He didn't resist, but it left him confused.

"You're gonna kill me, aren't you?" He accused with suspicion.

"No, we just need to be alone. And you're not in trouble."

Mono heard for the first time, he spoke in a soft and kind voice.

"After this Mono...everything you've ever believed in and relied on to survive will change."

...

Sunset hit the planet, everyone had bundled up with blankets for the night, sat by the fire, laughed to ease the stress, and told bad jokes. Ensured that they weren't in any more danger, they all relaxed. Wander was happy to be back with Sylvia, gave hugs and to have his hat on his head again. Everyone except Mono was missing. Wander looked around to see, but he couldn't find him, but he could for sure sniff him out.

He tapped RS Wander on the shoulder, he had one hand on his chin, rolled his eyes at how silly everyone was being, with a bored expression.

"What?"

"Where's Mono? He okay?"

He sighed, tired.

"He wanted some space to himself, after what I told him, I'm pretty sure he's feeling messed up after all of it."

"Ah, I see." Wander's lips went flat.

Until he started to snicker and laugh louder than everyone else,

"What's so funny?" RS Wander was mildly annoyed and confused.

Wander smacked his back, hard,

"When you said he wanted some space, I thought of "up there," Wander pointed to the sky.

Everyone heard the horrible joke, they begun to laugh harder than before. Wander rolled on the ground hitting his own ribs. RS Wander wanted to grunt and pretend it wasn't funny.

But the convulsions in his chest were telling him to laugh.

He gave in. RS Wander realized he needed it, after such a hard and painful day. After letting it out, his body and mind felt like air, and much lighter.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Sylvia asked, after calming down.

Deena stood up and cleared her throat,

"I suggest we go back to the cave, and Wander-"

"Yes?" Both Wanders said at the same time.

"No, the one with the scarf." She pointed.

"Oh." Wander giggled.

"I'm listening." RS Wander tilted his head up.

"If it's not too much to ask, could you put a hold or stop for Wander's training? I'm going to need him and Sylvia for some plans."

He sighed. And took a moment. The popping and flickering of the fire filled the silence.

"I suppose. I won't ask why, but I think it's up to Wander." He turned to look at him.

"Me?" Wander pointed at himself.

"Can you help me with this mission I have for you, Wander?" Deena begged, her paws together.

He smiled. "How could I refuse? Of course I can."

"But the question is, do you feel like you're ready, and can control yourself?" RS Wander gripped his shoulder.

That time it took a moment for him to think.

"I think I can. I'm sorry though, that today I lost it. But it was a mistake and I'm sure I'll get a better control next time."

"Then it's settled." RS Wander said.

"I trust your judgement from now on, Wander." Deena said, relieved.

Nate yawned..thus making everyone else do the same.

"I'm going to bed. Make sure all of you get everything packed up for tomorrow." Nate stood up and went to his tent to change and rest.

"I'll sleep in my car, after all there's heat in it." Deena went as well.

"You don't want your own tent?" Wander called out, making an offer.

"I'm good!" She called back.

"I'll take you up on that, buddy." Sylvia said happily.

"Yesssss!" Wander was excited.

"I think…"

The two of them looked at RS Wander.

"I'll sleep with you two, it'd be weird going with Nate." He blushed.

"Sure, no problem." Sylvia grinned.

"What about Mono?" Wander asks, the other two went stiff.

"He'll be fine. If he wants to sleep and freeze, he can." RS Wander shrugged.

"Hey, don't be mean." Wander warned.

"I heard you."

Sylvia and RS Wander flinched, Mono was right behind them. Wander jumped up and smiled.

"Mono! Glad you're here." He welcomed.

"I sense some hostility, if you don't want me here, I'll leave." He gruffed.

"NO, no no!" Wander scooped him up and hugged him.

The others gave them a weird look.

"Please, stay with us. Sylvia and Wander are actually alright with you, just frustrated. That's all." He wanted to assure him.

"Wait..oh NO, he's not sleeping with us!" RS Wander objected. He made a sour face.

Sylvia slapped the back of his head, disapproved of his attitude.

"As much as I don't trust Mono, I'll agree. If he's left out here he'll freeze, just as you say." She said softly.

"But I hate him, he's a-" RS Wander tried to argue,

Sylvia glared at him.

"He's coming in with us. End of discussion."

Instead of scary, it was funny. To Mono at least. Sylvia had completely made RS Wander submit, and he enjoyed it. RS Wander cowered under her deathly gaze.

"I'll make an offer." Sylvia's voice turned softer," Your scarf was torn, so I'll sew it up if you let him in the tent."

Eyes still wide and nervous of her, he almost forgot the prized gift that he was given by Sylvia, only to have it almost destroyed by Mono.

"Deal."

"SLUMBER PARTY!" Wander shouted, making Mono jump.

A few minutes later, they all bundled up in the tent. It wasn't meant for 4 people at once, but because Wander, RS Wander, and Mono were small, only Sylvia took up most of the space. RS Wander had taken his scarf and bandana off, and put them into Wander's hat for safe-keeping.

"Worst..slumber party...ever." RS Wander mumbled.

He shivered. It was getting colder, he made the mistake of having his arms outside the blankets.

Sylvia and Wander had already fell asleep, Sylva was at the far left, RS Wander in between her and Wander, Mono at the far right. Only the two of them remained awake.

RS Wander heard sniffling. He listened carefully. It wasn't from Wander or Sylvia, so he lifted his head to find it was from Mono. Mono was on his side, facing away from him. His body jerked gently with soft cries.

"Are you alright, Mono?" He said quietly.

Mono stopped sniffling.

He really didn't want to ask, but he couldn't sleep the way he was now.

"I won't lie, I'm not alright. I've never been alright." He said back softly.

"Didn't know you had the ability to be honest, it's shocking." RS Wander spat out sarcasm.

"Stupid donkey." Mono shot at him.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

He sighed in frustration,

"Tell me what's wrong with you. So I can sleep." RS Wander sighed.

"...Everything's wrong, what'd you expect?" Mono sat up, but still faced away,

"I killed dad...he allowed me to be experimented on...all my friends are gone. I have nothing left to live for."

For the first time, RS Wander felt sorry for Mono. Despite how much he didn't like him. He remembered feeling the same way, wandering the galaxies alone with no purpose to guide him.

"Sorry this is going to sound corny, but...you do have something."

"And that is?" Mono wasn't very excited, still depressed.

"Him."

A pause.

"Who, exactly?" Mono glanced,

RS Wander pointed to the person in between them…

Wander was drooling from his mouth, sleeping blissfully.

"Him…?"

"Who else?...I don't know what happened earlier from between the two of you...but I'm sure in some odd way...he helped you through a lot of sadness."

The tent disappeared, as well as Sylvia and Wander. Now only a black sky and red room surrounded them. Mono was enraged again.

RS Wander was more confused, rather than scared by him. Mono's eyes had become deadly with red and black orbs

"What could you **possibly understand from me?** I lost _EVERYTHING._ And "sadness"? **Biggest understatement of the millennium!** "

RS Wander groaned, and slanted back.

"I'm no good with guessing how you feel, I mean I'm the one who tramps down my own feelings too." RS Wander muttered.

" **What's that supposed to mean?** " Mono snarled.

"Dude, I'm trying to tell you, I had nothing either." RS Wander gestured his hands.

Mono's dark eyes wavered by his comment.

"You had nothing, too?"

"Nope. Since me and Wander are pretty much the same person.. I can see easily he experienced just as much hardship."

RS Wander closed his eyes.

"But Mono, as painful as it was...you just have to keep going. Don't live in the past, if life is hell..you keep pushing harder, and harder each time it pushes you back."

"But how? I have nothing." Mono started to cry once again.

"I'll repeat it again; you have Wander, and..me occasionally..as long as you don't get on my nerves; I'll race to help you."

Mono listened carefully trying to find a hint of deceit. Bit he found none. His brain tried the only thing it knew how as a defense which was lie to himself.

The moment his heart cracked opened from RS Wanders words,

He felt…

So warm.

The dark room faded, Mono felt his body wrapped by something.

He found to have Wander had hugged him, and smiling.

"Did you have a nightmare? It'll be okay. I'm here for you, Mono."

"Wh...why are you doing this? I hurt you, I tried to kill you and you're showing me kindness?" Mono was more than just baffled, he was also scared.

RS Wander smiled, and nodded his head once. He said nothing else and dug back under the blankets.

"Because..an enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet." Wander answered lovingly.

"I don't deserve it." Mono tried to reject his so- called kindness.

"Get used to it. It might as well take what you have." RS Wander said under the covers.

"You're my friend, Mono. I'll make sure you aren't lonely again."

Wander hugged him tighter right before he fell asleep.

"Do I even want it, or deserve it is the question." Mono asked himself.

He chose to think about for the morning. His previous anger had sucked up his energy it was time to sleep. And so he did.

For the first time in years, he slept soundly without fear.

* * *

Wander was up and about, putting a spring with every with each step he took. He was on his way to help Dominator, after being explained to that she needed assistance.

The ship was topsy turvy to the right, the upper head of it was damaged from the acid Deena sprayed. It was a mess.

Wander took a deep breath;

"Hey! Lord Dominator! I'm here, it's me!" He called with both hands close to his mouth.

The underside of the ship opened, she jumped down. He was surprised to see her dressed in gray sweats, and a black tank top, similar to her suit with the splattered broken heart design on it. He noticed she had only one of her gloves on.

"Get on, and welcome. I'll show you what needs to be done."

"Eager to see what you have." Wander smacked his hands together, pulling his game face.

She turned her body half way and pointed at him with her glove,

"If you try anything funny, I'll destroy you." She warned him.

He nodded, but not scared of her. "Understood, ma'am."

"I'm wearing this around as a precaution and it's the only piece of equipment that works." She explained,"For protection."

After a few minutes of touring the places that needed attention and care, her robots brought Wander the cleaning supplies for him. With a few barrels of larger empty trash cans.

Wander didn't mention it, but he was delighted of how generous she was being..she gave him everything, she let him take his time with each space to clean.

He noted that when he was around, she was soft hearted towards him only but treated everyone else as an enemy. Why was that? He didn't know whether to bring it up, yet he knew she wasn't the open minded type.

 _2 hours later.._

"All done!"

Wander wiped his forehead. The fur on his face was soaked with sweat. He barely made it upstairs to announce to Dominator his progress, fatigue hit him like an asteroid. She too was finished repairing the equipment and was sitting in her chair, relaxing.

"Thanks, Wander. You're free to go now." She glanced at him.

He scratched his own foot with his other one, timid. It was on his mind while he worked…

"Dominator, I..I'm sorry for biting you. And messing up your ship, and injuring you."

She didn't look at him.

"I was really mad. I'm sorry for taking it out on you." He continued, "I'm going to try the hardest I can to not do it ever again."

"I suck at this." Dominator said suddenly.

She wheeled around and pushed her chair.

"I'm not the best at this apologizing thing, so do kill me if I fail." She teased him.

Jokes aside, she took a deep breath.

"I'm mixed. I don't know if I should be feeling sorry for you or for myself; it's always been my instinct to inflict misery on other people, my personal mission. But for you and that Nathan guy..,"

She closed her eyes, tightening them.

"I'm sorry for hurting him, and taking his family away from him. And even more, for taking advantage of your kindness."

"You are?" Wander replied softly.

"Yeah." She sighed.

"I learned an important lesson yesterday, and the time you and I fought: don't use others. Mono used me.. and I got my butt owned."

"As selfish as it sounds I love taking advantages of others, but hate it when they do the same to me? I've decided.."

She leaned over,

"I'll keep doing it. Try to stop me if you will, but the only occasion I won't is with you and your friends."

"I don't want to get hurt again by you, you're a monster...I'll keep my distance."

"Um...I guess that's okay with me." Wander shrunk his body down, feeling a tiny bit intimidated.

"As for Rockna, I changed my mind. If I destroy it and you all come along to save it, no way I'm messing with it."

"Thank you, Dom. I knew you were a nice person." Wander's face blushed.

Dominator bowed her head down, she shook her fists.

"Oh, are you okay-?"

"You idiot. You broke my rule: you address to me as Lord Dominator." She hissed.

"Uh oh." Wander's internal alarm bells went off.

Dominator shot ice at him. He ducked, barely missing his hat.

"Get out." She stood up and glowered,

"NOW!"

Wander made a run for it. She followed after him. She continuously threw more ice at him. She stopped, letting him get away. She was already out of breath.

Dominator grinned.

"Thank you for everything, Wander."

 _If there's one person I can trust at least..it'd be him._

* * *

Wander sighed. Not only was he tired, he put his hopes up too high, he thought he broke through Dominators cold attitude.

"'Least she was happy to let me help her." He stretched his arms, he was already feeling the soreness coming.

And lost his balance.

"WANDER! I FOUND YOU!"

Hater's ship smacked into the ground in front of him, it's tongue rolled out. Lord Hater in the flesh, rushed to get him.

"I haven't forgot what you did, you're going to pay!"

"Lord Hater! well, what a surprise!" Wander was of course happy to see him.

And of course, didn't forget the promise he broke.

"Enough cat and mouse, you're gonna die!" Hater's eyes went red in the center and he began to whip out electricity.

"Gulp." Wander gulped. He ran.

"AAAAAGHHH COME BACK HERE!" Hater yelled, not having any of his tactics.

"Come on, Hatey! Let's talk this out, I know we can come to an agreem-!""

Electricity zapped him on his fur above his legs.

"YEOUCH!"

"GRAAAH!"

Wander went past a familiar face, that said familiar face stood as hard as a statue with his arms folded. And made Hater trip and stop.

"Who the flarp are you?!"

RS Wander stared at him with a flat, dry look.

"My name doesn't matter, it's the business I have with you." RS Wander bent his torso lower.

"Wait a minute!" Hater stood up fast, pointed at him and darted his eyes,

"How did-?"

He was confused as to why Wander's appearance changed so suddenly, and why he wore a scarf. He shook his head.

"Ugh, whatever, I don't care. You're gonna be destroyed by me anyways." He growled.

"Planet Rockna."

Hater flinched, confused.

"You threatened my son's home. I suggest you take it back before I blow up." RS Wander snarled.

Wander from a distance dug a hole in the ground, away from sight, he had taken off his hat and shoved it into the hole so it wouldn't give away.

"Me? Give it back? IN YOUR stupid dreams!" Hater laughed in his face.

He turned on the speaker phone inside his hood,

"Bring the Watchdogs, I have Wander surrounded!"

"Yes, sir!" Peepers shouted at the other end.

Seconds later, hundreds of Watchdogs came marching out of the ship, chanting. Peepers ran past them and went to Hater's side.

"This is it, Wander. Seeing that Sylvia isn't here to help and protect you, the advantage is now mine!"

RS Wander stood calm, and composed.

"Let me ask you this." He smirked.

"Oh boy, I wonder what he's gonna do." Wander peeked his head out to watch.

"If you have last words, say them now or forever take them to the underworld!" Peepers ordered.

"Do you know what it's like...to not have a home?" RS Wander spoke in a sad voice.

"Huh? What're you blabbing about?" Hater snorted.

"I didn't have one."

That...was not something he'd hear from Wander. Hater actually let his ego down..and listened.

"I had no friends, no place to go that I could be safe from the monsters that wanted me dead. And Hater…"

He glared at him, making the rest of the crowd behind Hater and the commander to become silent.

"That's exactly what you're doing to Nate. You're taking his only place to call his home after his parents were taken away from him. So I suggest.."

RS Wander's eyes blackened with blue slits, and shifted 12 feet taller, claws sharper than knives.

 **"You better give back Rockna before I rip you apart."**

They got the hint. It was time to flee. Forgetting about orders and disobeying the rules, they wanted away from this monster!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All of them including Hater and Peepers wasted no time getting back into the ship and they flew off. All in a matter of 10 seconds.

"Whew."

RS Wander shifted back to normal size. He heard clapping.

"That was amazing! Do you think they'll come after you?" Wander squinted his eyes at the sky.

"I doubt it." RS Wander chuckled, "After what I turned into to make them leave, I'd say they won't bother Nate again."

"Thanks so much." Wander hugged him one armed and scratched his head.

It made the other Wander blush slightly.

"Are you done with what you wanted to do?" RS Wander asked, shaking off his nerves.

"Yep!" Wander patted his back.

"Good. I'd say let's head back. Everyone's waiting for you to return." He told him.

* * *

By the time they went back to the cave to retrieve their things, it was late afternoon. Each of the team gathered their belongings and set them outside of the cave into individual piles.

Mono didn't have much, other than his long jacket and shoes. Since it was a little chilly out, he put it on. And watched everyone do their tasks and would look at the mountains.

Deena had finished arranging her things and packing them up. She was surprised that she finished quickly despite her injury.

"One last thing to do now." She clapped her paws.

Going to the group, they were relaxing in their own spots sitting in chairs taking a chance to relax before they launched the plan to leave the planet.

The time to go home was near..

"Heya Deen, how're you doing?" Wander waved, he was relaxing against Sylvia's side.

"Been worse, but good. Can I borrow you and Syl for a few minutes?" Deena's business voice came out.

"Pftt, sure!" Wander stood up and followed her.

"What's this about? You getting sick and can't stand to leave us?" Sylvia teased her.

She was actually nervous, she hoped it wasn't another trap. Seeing what happened yesterday put her nerves into a wreck.

"Get in, I'll explain." Deena opened the driver's seat door to her vehicle.

After all three of them got comfortable, Deena pulled up her computer.

"Last night I mentioned I need help from the two of you. I have a mission, and I can't do it alone." She typed in keys on her pc.

"What do you need? If it's something I can punch into, I'll gladly help." Sylvia flared her bicep.

"Sylvia." Wander rolled his eyes.

"It won't be that simple…" Deena answered, and she looked at them.

"Your mission is to go to back to Mysterium."

Both gasped and jumped as if being shocked by Hater's electricity.

"Are you kidding us?! That creepy place? We almost died back there!" Sylvia protested.

"Wait, let's hear the reason." Wander patted her muzzle.

"Activity has been stranger than normal. There's been sightings of shadows at night, strange energy from the Spearnight Museum grounds, howling as if wolves are calling to each other, but as far as I know, there isn't much wildlife on the planet. And.."

She paused, taking a breath.

"The COT caves there have been glowing there at night too, claims of voices could be heard from inside."

Sylvia shuddered.

"I'd rather face three Doom Dragons than go back but…." Sylvia shook her arms,

She wanted to refuse so badly.

"What do you think, Wander?"

He put his hand under his face in thought.

"Let's do it. We could pay a visit to Cod and Amie."

"If you go, I'll follow." Sylvia patted his head, ruffling his hat.

"Thank you, guys." Deena was happy.

She turned off her computer.

* * *

Now it was time to leave. RS Wander told Nate he could go back to Rockna finally and managed to scare off Hater and his goons.

"Thanks, dad." Nate hugged him and gave his foster a noogie.

"S-stop, you're embarrassing me." He tried to hold his laughter, but failed.

"I'll escort you home." He offered him.

"Ah, wait!" Deena pushed in between them, "I'll take you there, my car is faster."

"I'll take on that." Nate shrugged.

While they discussed other plans, Wander and Sylvia waited for them.

"Hey, Mono's coming with us, right?" Wander looked for him.

"I don't know. Just remember, I still don't entirely trust him." Sylvia warned.

"Come on, he's actually a decent guy once you know em, eh, eh?" He elbowed her arm.

"I'm over here."

Mono came up, finishing a quick walk. He had his hands in his pockets

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Wander spread his arms, excited.

"Yeah, one thing...and don't take it personal…" Mono said.

Sylvia stayed close behind to her best friend, making sure he wouldn't hurt him.

"I'm not coming with you…" He said softly.

The wind blew past them, making it colder.

"You're...not?" Wander's heart sank.

"I guess I appreciate your offer on this whole friendship thing, but I still need time to think about it," Mono shrugged and sighed.

"My reason is, I just need to be alone. To gather and find my purpose."

As disappointed as he was, Wander understood.

"That's fine with me. If you need me, I'll be in a job for a little bit. Or…"

Wander dug into his hat, and pulled out a portable phone-can.

"Call us, if anything happens."

He tossed it to him, Mono caught it with one hand and looked at it strangely.

"I don't get how this works, but okay."

Monoa almost couldn't breathe as suddenly Wander hugged him again. This time Mono returned it.

"You be careful out there. I hope I can see you again." Wander said softly into his ear.

Mono smirked, feeling good.

"Same to you. Wouldn't want my lunch to be spoiled."

"Say what again!?" Sylvia caught that, she went into defense.

"Chill, I was just kidding." Mono made fake tears at her. "Speaking of chilly, better go before the sun ditches."

They both released, parting ways. The rest of the gang had gotten into the car, Sylvia and Wander were the last ones in. The car began to fly into the air.

Wander rolled the window down and waved, "Bye, Mono!"

It was impossible to hold back his tears, one drop flew away into the air. He was going to miss him.

Mono lazily waved back, turned and walked away. They were all gone before he had the chance to look at them again.

The wind picked up faster, almost making Mono's teeth and fangs chatter.

"Geez, I was never this cold before the guys left.."

His chest hurt again. He meant the ones who stayed with him for a thousand years, they kept him warm and safe on the coldest of planets.

And they weren't this time.

"How does he do this? Wander was alone for a long time…"

 _"Mono."_

He heard his name being whispered in the wind, it was blowing hard. But he put it off as his imagination playing tricks on him.

"Tch, I'm already a sap. They can't be here-"

 _"Mono."_

Mono heard it as if someone was right next to him!

"Hello?"

"We're here." A male voice clear as crystal spoke.

Mono's already frail heart beat rapidly with the wind,...hundreds of figures appeared, transparent. They all grinned with warmth on their faces.

"It's not possible.." Mono stammered.

"Anythings possible if you really want something."

"Welcome back, idiooot."

"We've returned because.."

The one called Ren stood in front of him,

"We realized the horrible and selfish mistake we did. From now on, until the day you die.."

All of them moved closer and put hands on his shoulders,

"We will support you, the proper way. Wander opened our eyes. We won't lie to you anymore."

Mono's eyes glimmered, a feeling of overwhelming joy built in his chest. His ruby eyes shined brighter than ever before.

Everyone of them put their energy together and went towards Mono's heart and chest. They were returning to their old home. It was slightly painful, but not in a bad way, it was a comforting pain. When they all finished, they disappeared again.

"Welcome home, guys."

Mono set forth into the distance.

* * *

 **To be Continued.**


	19. Epilogue

"I'm finally here."

Nate stood in his front lawn, he was disheartened that the green and red grass had overgrown while gone, the porch was extremely dusty. But tidying up would have to happen later.

He lifted a flower pot for the key.

Once in, he remembered how everything was left the way it was months ago. Untouched. As if he left that morning when the invaders tried to take over and it never happened.

"Look for the letter." His foster's voice rung in his ears.

He walked upstairs to his bedroom. He remembered where he kept his valuables in the closet. Inside an old shoebox he found the jumper he kept since he was an infant.

"What did Wander mean? I've had these for years and I never saw a letter."

He paused for a moment. Before looking for anything, he decided to take a shower and get a new set of clothes on. He finally saw how smelly his gym clothes were. He wanted to hurl.

30 minutes later, now washed and refreshed his continued the task. He looked over the old piece of clothing, and seeing brown marks, he knew it was blood from the accident that left scars on his mouth. There was a pouch on the back. Something crinkling and fluttered from the inside;

He pulled out and old envelope.

Feeling like he won the lottery he carefully opened it. A multi-folded paper was ready to be read. Getting his glasses he read on:

 _"It's me. Wander. I don't know when you'll be able to get around to seeing this message, I just hope it's not at a bad time and place. But hear me out, Nate."_

 _"I don't say much to express my thoughts, I want to get better at it. The next time I see you, I'll be able to feel less anxious and actually give you a hug. I love you, Nate. Your parents showed and gave me such an extraordinary gift, the little bundle that I took from harm's way. Your parents were amazing people. After I met Sylvia the two of them treated me like a first son, before you were even born. They didn't treat me like some creature to be scared of. I met them and became friends with them at the time your mother was pregnant with you._

 _And Nate, I'm sorry if I let you down. I especially did when I lost my mind the other night. If we meet again, I want….you to not be scared. Fear isn't the absence of courage; don't let it infect your life. I hope you grow up to be a strong and independent young man. If you ever get married, I'll be sure to be your child's life like I was before. Just be sure they don't call me cute names or I quit-"_

Nate stopped to laugh, he forgot how Wander hated being called babyish names, he reminded himself the next time to call him kitty. He continued.

 _"Oh what am I saying? Right, the place you will be living next will be much safer, wherever Sylvia takes you. Have a good life." -Wander._

The next morning, Nate sat down to think of what he read yesterday, he held his foster father's words in his hands, feeling relieved. Sitting comfortably in the recliner with a cup of coffee next to him. He was just happy that he and Wander were over the negative feelings from years ago. And we're closer than ever before. He picked up the envelope, and was shocked to see another separate piece of letter inside.

He immediately began to read it:

 _"Dear Nate, I'll miss you. I'm already starting to and I just began to write this. Time is being generous enough to allow me my final farewell to you at least. We were blessed to have you, Sylvia, and especially Wander come to our lives. Before any of them I'll admit, life was pretty dull; even though your (real) father helped me overcome heartbreak that I endured in my life. I was so lonely. Erin was the best kind of friend to help me forget my pain. You may meet Wander again one day again, he'll always be here in this life to help you, at anytime. I'm sorry we couldn't be here, there wasn't any other way we could escape with you. Imagine me holding you right at this moment, even if you're dead and off somewhere else. I am here. I've always been, always will. Me and your father love you so much! May your life be filled with happy dreams. -Love,_ Eva."

Nates eyes began to swell and tear up. He wiped his face. He always felt at times a certain warming presence in his house whenever he had a stressful day at work, felt sad or lonely. He realized it was the two of them being there for him, always in spirit.

His doorbell rang. Quickly drying his eyes and face he went to open it..

RS Sylvia and RS Wander stood to greet their child. RS Wander's bandana was gone, but his scarf remained perfect on his shoulders, another difference was his hair was pulled back, his shoes were dressier. Sylvia…

He broke down seeing her. She was beautiful as always. She had aged a tiny bit, wrinkles around her eyes, but her figure was still sturdy and toned.

"Hi, son. We're here to visit you."

Without saying anything Nate hugged them tightly, crying. He now felt complete.

His brain hit him with an idea.

"Before I let you in, can I offer you two something?" He sniffed.

"What is it, dear?" Sylvia bent her knees, smiling.

"Can you...live with me? I have enough room."

RS Wander gasped. He wasn't expecting that sort of thing to come from Nate. He shook his head, and chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind at all, but what do you think, Wander?" Sylvia patted her best friend's back.

"If it's something that'll make my son happy, I'll do it." RS Wander playfully punched Nate in the stomach.

"Thank you." Nate laughed with joy.

He let the two of them in, went to the kitchen and made some tea. RS Wander teasingly yelled,

"As long you remember the deal I mentioned, no names!"

"Yeah, yeah, Papa Kitty. At your service." Nate stuck out his tongue to blow a raspberry.

"WHAT'D you call me!?" RS Wander couldn't hold in a laugh and failed to sound angry.

He heard him and his foster mom laugh together. After finishing all of the tea, RS Wander bent from his chair and said.

"So Nate, here's the deal. I'll stay here like I promised..on one condition."

Sylvia and Nate looked at each other, smiling, and back to him..

"What is that then,?" Nate said.

"Want to go on another adventure with me?"

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
